Opposing Destiny
by PastaWar19
Summary: L and his successors found the Death Note manga and read the events of the Kira case. Now that they know what lies ahead, will Light Yagami still be able to win the battle of crime and justice? L's fate and Light's destiny start battle. Rated T. No yaoi.
1. Immersion

**Yo. This is a really big fic here, probably twenty or more chapters planned in my head. Ten chapters are currently in my laptop while five are still on paper. I hope you all enjoy this; it's based on L vs. Light (duh) with a little bit of L's successors and Light's minions inserted here and there. Oh- I usually make first chapters in my stories quite short. Please don't be disappointed by the length. :)**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Immersion**

Light continued staring at L through the surveillance camera yet again, his eyes flashing rebelliously. L was sitting on his chair in his normal position, complete with the slouch and thumb up his mouth. An empty plate with only a fork on top lay on the desk nearby and a few cake crumbs scattered about. The black-haired twenty-four year old's dark eyes were focused on the computer screens, which were showing the currently imprisoned Light Yagami, Misa Amane, and Soichiro Yagami. At the moment, Light was convinced of not being Kira, which contrasted greatly with his attitude when he insisted his own imprisonment.

Frankly, L couldn't figure out the reason behind Light's sudden change of heart.

"Ryuzaki," Someoned called. It was Aizawa. "This is going too far. Those three need to be released."

L sighed, craving for something sweet to eat or drink. Aizawa tapped his foot impatiently while Matsuda and Mogi shifted uneasily as L kept them waiting for an answer.

"Just a little longer."

The room was a bit dark and all that lit it up were the screens showing the prisoners. Tension was easily felt inside and it was obvious that the only calm person was L. Nobody said anything as a few moments were spent for deep, silent contemplation on the situation at hand. It was exactly like the night before, but worse. The curtains were slightly drawn back that day, so L looked out the window. The sun was setting.

L yawned.

* * *

"Hey Jan, I bought some magic dust from this cool store," Sienna said excitedly.

Jan rolled her eyes. She was stuck with her friend's cousin. Her friend said something about babysitting a cousin for her while she went to martial arts class. The ten-year old, long black-haired Sienna stared up at the fourteen-year old, short brown-haired Jan with eager eyes, waiting for a response.

"That's great, Sien," the older girl said bluntly, "You can be like Harry Potter or something."

Sienna laughed and started sprinkling "magic dust" on a stick, trying to turn it into a wand. Jan wondered where the stick came from but shrugged it off, pulling out her Death Note manga volumes 1-12 from her bag. She brought the set along with her so she could re-read the whole story while babysitting.

Jan's friend's house was of medium size and it was quite neat, so Sienna obviously did her best not to mess up the house while playing. Jan found this odd in particular since children were always rowdy and ignorant in her opinion. But then again, this was her best friend's cousin, and knowing her best friend, she probably treated the little girl like a sister and trained her like some sort of child prodigy.

Later, when she finished, she went to read some Death Note fanfiction on her laptop. She didn't notice Sienna curiously pick up some of the volumes and look at the covers. The little girl looked interested at the cool characters and awesome fonts that spelled out "Death Note". She decided that reading would take too long and simply browsed through the pages quickly.

Apparently, she didn't notice that the bag of "magic dust" on her left hand had spilled a little, leaving traces on the manga volumes.

Before she could put all twelve back into place, they all magically disappeared.

Jan heard the gasp behind her. "Hey Sien, what happened?"

"It w-wasn't my fault, I swear!" the girl replied.

"What did you do?" Jan asked, rolling her eyes. She turned and stared down at Sienna, wondering what the girl was so hyped up about. Suddenly, she noticed that something was terribly wrong. Her favorite manga series was missing- all twelve of the volumes.

"Um, Jan? Why are your eyes popping out of your head? Oh- it's before dinnertime! Aren't you leaving already?"

"No! Not unless I find my Death Note manga!" Jan yelled angrily. "You must have hidden-"

"I didn't! I promise," Sienna interrupted, her eyes widening, "I just looked at the covers. That's all! Well, I was about to put them back on the table when they just disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Yeah! Like poof."

Jan groaned. "You're lying! Where'd you put them?"

"I'm not lying. They did disappear!" Sienna insisted, "Check the whole house!"

But the manga volumes were never found.

* * *

L looked around him. The room was empty and even darker than before since it was nighttime already. He was the only occupant and L sighed, quite accustomed to being alone. Everyone had left, frustrated with his decision to keep Light, Misa, and Mr. Yagami locked up a little longer.

He was starting to think that there was no other choice but to set them all free until he felt his heart skip a beat. He gasped. A few minutes passed and nothing happened. "Calm down, L. No heart attack. Kira doesn't know your true name," the detective quietly said to calm himself.

He then thought hard, his instincts telling him that something big must have taken place. L stood up, looking around the room. Nothing changed. He then looked back into the screens showing Misa Amane, Light Yagami, and Soichiro Yagami in their respective rooms. Nothing changed with them as well.

He looked around the room again, feeling as if there was something he failed to see.

And there was.

A stack of books appeared out of nowhere, right on top of the table near the wall. "Where did they come from? It seems as if they just appeared out of thin air," he mused to himself pensively, "This wasn't here a while ago and I'm sure nobody entered the room. That's odd..."

L approached the stack of books cautiously. When he looked closer, the cover of the one on top quickly attracted his attention. Death Note was the title. There was a picture of a man with a sort of monster behind it. He realised that this was the first volume of what looked like a manga series and that the following three were continuations. Death Note Volumes One to Four.

The detective's eyes widened as he realised that the man on the cover looked like Light.

He then read the back, which contained the summary. Light Yagami. Death Note. Justice. With his eyes subconsciously widening in surprise, L flipped open the first pages. The first chapter alone told him exactly what the whole story was about.

Without even hesitating for a single moment, he brought all four manga volumes to his chair in front of the screens, planning to read for the whole night. L stared closely at Light Yagami through the screen before immersing himself in the first volume of Death Note.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Wammy's House, in Winchester, England, two boys had discovered similar books of the same title.

They were both out on the back garden. It was a pleasant garden big enough to fit a dozen or two playing children. The trees and flowers gave it a sort of cosy, warm feeling but that day was windy. Plus, it was slowly growing dimmer outside as sunset approached. The swing was long abandoned by the pesky little seven-year olds and the gardener was done with his planting job. Most children would have been back inside the orphanage by then; however, these two weren't.

"What's that you're looking at, Mello?"

There was an awkward pause as the fourteen-year old boy with shoulder-length blond hair- Mello- simply glared. He then decided to take a look at the three books lying still on the grassy ground, attempting and failing to ignore the albino standing curiously behind him. "Go away, Near. It's none of your business."

Near, the twelve-year old boy with short, messy white hair and dark eyes, paid no attention to Mello's plea. He crouched down on the ground to further analyse the books. "Death... Note? It seems like a graphic novel of some sort..."

"I told you to go away!"

"Why does the man on the cover of this one look like L?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to-"

"Volumes five to seven? It's incomplete..."

"Just leave me the hell alone-"

"This is intriguing. So you saw it lying there behind the bushes?"

Mello sighed, exasperated, and ran a hand through his hair. The kid always managed to piss him off. Said kid was still staring at him with wide, expectant eyes, causing him to answer reluctantly. "Yeah. Strange, isn't it?" Near didn't respond for a while.

The wind blew open the book which had Volume Five printed on the side, the book with the picture of a standing brown-haired Asian man with the L-look-alike crouching below him on the cover. It opened to the first page of the first chapter.

"Yes. Very strange."

* * *

**Chapter Summary: Jan has a complete Death Note manga set. Her close friend's cousin, Sienna, whom she was babysitting, accidentally spilled 'magic dust' on the covers, so they all disappeared. Actually, the manga volumes 1-4 suddenly appeared in L's room while the volumes 5-7 appeared to Near and Mello. What happens when they read the manga? O.O**

**Read and review! Hope you liked it. :)**


	2. Option

**Here's the second chapter. I hope I get more reviews/faves/alerts. Enjoyed writing this a lot, by the way**.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Option**

It was a beautiful day in Japan. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and people were walking around lazily on this wonderful weekend. Only the occasional beeping of cars and high-pitched crying of babies would disturb the rhythm of the hustle and bustle of the city. However, in one part of the town, there seemed to be no peace at all.

"Why are you watching us on our date?" Misa shrieked furiously at Ryuzaki, her blond hair tied in pigtails and her eyes blazing with absolute annoyance. Her outburst was loud and shrill enough to scare away any animals lounging around outside.

Ryuzaki looked up, a hint of irritation showing on his face. "I can't leave you two alone. Besides, I'll still be watching on surveillance cameras," he said casually, "Oh, and are you eating that cake?"

"No. Cake makes you fat!"

"Actually, I discovered that large intake of sugar won't make you fat if you burn the calories by using your brain."

"Oh, so now you're calling me stupid?" Misa screamed angrily, "Why don't you leave me and Light alone?"

"I can't do that."

Light groaned, understanding the true meaning behind the simple statement. "For the last time, Ryuzaki, I am NOT Kira!"

Ryuzaki shifted his deep gaze from Misa to Light. An intense staring contest ensued.

"UGH! What is it with you and your weird hobby, you pervert?" Misa said loudly, disrupting the two and craving the spotlight.

"Call me whatever you want; I'm still taking your cake."

It was a week after Misa Amane, Light Yagami, and Soichiro Yagami had been released from imprisonment. L had figured that they were innocent, proven by his watchful surveillance. The little act he had Soichiro do with Light and Misa in the car further decreased their likeliness to be Kira by approximately twenty-five point five percent.

L also considered being handcuffed to Light but changed his mind. However, since he had found the Death Note manga, he was absolutely positive that Light was Kira but needed concrete evidence to prove it. Something was terribly wrong with Light's and Misa's attitudes, but he knew that letting his guard down could cost him a lot. If it wasn't for the Death Note manga he had found a few nights before, he most probably still would have been on the stage of wondering whether Light really was Kira or not.

Now, he was absolutely sure- ninety-nine point nine nine percent sure, to be precise.

As Misa and Light conversed lightly, L contemplated on the Death Note manga he had just read. They definitely confirmed that Light was Kira, and that the whole series somehow covered the complete story of the fight between L and Kira. The only problem the detective was worrying about was that the volumes found were only 1st to 4th. The fourth ended with Light's imprisonment, therefore clearing away the thought of it being the last installment.

"Um, Ryuzaki? Your cake fell on the floor."

L looked up, mildly surprised. "Oh. I apologize. I wasn't paying attention."

Light stared at his friend suspiciously. Suddenly, Misa pulled at his arm, flashing him a sweet smile that would have made normal guys faint. He looked at her shrewdly, just to acknowledge her presence. "LIGHT! Let's go to the movies together! Can we do that?"

"Well..."

"PLEEEAASE?"

"...I guess so."

"Do remember that I will be installing bugs on you two, hearing whatever is exchanged between you during the date," L reminded them as he went for the other cake that didn't fall on the ground. He cut a slice and gulped it down hungrily, the fork daintily clutched in between his index finger and thumb.

Misa glared, turning her attention from Light to Ryuzaki. "WHAAATT?"

"What do you mean by what?" the dark-haired man replied quizzically.

Light sighed.

* * *

Matt had no idea what was going on. It all started a week ago, when his best friend Mello and his best friend's rival Near came inside the orphanage together. They were carrying a few books and seemed not to mind accompanying each other. This struck Matt as extremely odd since Mello and Near had always been rivals. Mello's hair was a bit windswept because of the slight breeze outside and he looked a little flustered. Near seemed absolutely calm but also looked as if he was thinking about something, like an equation to solve an extremely difficult mathematical problem.

He approached them, of course. His red hair was slightly messy and his goggles were covering his eyes, which were most probably narrowed in curiosity.

"Mello," he called out. His best friend turned and waved.

"Yo Matt."

"What's going on?" he asked lightly, trying not to sound too suspicious.

Mello grinned. "Oh nothing. Near's just reading some interesting stuff and I wanted to check them out. Selfish little bastard's being a prick and won't show me, though."

Matt smirked. If his ears weren't deceiving him, then his best friend most certainly told him a downright lie. However, he decided to play along with it and nodded. Near stared. He seemed to notice Matt's intentions.

"If you asked nicely, I would have considered lending you at least one," replied Near tonelessly to match Mello's lie, "But you are, as always, being rude and impolite."

"Shut up, idiot." was the answer.

The two best friends then left the white-haired albino with the three books and went up to their room.

A few days later, Matt noticed that Mello was reading one of the books- probably he managed to convince Near to lend him one. Or perhaps they both managed to plan something involving those books without telling Matt. Whatever it was, he decided to leave the two geniuses to it.

Days had passed until Mello was completely hanging out with Near, talking to him whenever he could. Their conversations seemed important, and Matt always watched them. He never eavesdropped. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't understand what the two had to hide from him. The only thing he could come up with was that it must have had something to do with L.

Being able to come up to that conclusion was easy enough for the gamer. One thing Near and Mello had in common is that they're the top two in the orphanage and another is that they're in line to be L's successors. Following this train of thought, Matt decided that they were planning on something about the latter. It was odd, though, considering how L hadn't even died and the two weren't even of age to succeed yet.

Matt had no idea how close he was to guessing the real reason.

But one day, Near and Mello completely disappeared- like poof. The night before, Mello had spoken to him strangely.

"Hey Matt. You do know that we're good friends, right?" he had said. Matt nodded, wondering what it was all about. "Well, if we're far from each other, remember that we'll sometimes be able to keep in touch or something. If anything happens to me, remember that there's still my memory to go on with. And my permission to take my place as Wammy's number one delinquent." And he just grinned mischievously.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Mello?"

The blond simply waved him off and shook his head, promptly retrieving a chocolate bar from his pocket and taking a huge bite out of it.

The following morning, Matt had a really good idea what exactly his best friend was trying to say. Near and Mello must have been planning to go to L about something and it all started with the three books they brought with them when they walked in that windy day. They both left on some sort of secret help-L-mission thing, being the top two successors- and Matt didn't like it. He was third. He deserved to know; he deserved to at least be let in on the plan! But neither Near nor Mello told him anything about it.

Matt was both worried and resentful at the same time.

* * *

Mello was absolutely furious. About three things, to be precise.

First of all, he had to choose between two options that Near had very bluntly proposed: First, to escape England with Near to travel to Japan in order to save L, capture Kira, and prevent the world from doom. Second, to stay with his best friend Matt in the orphanage, leave Near to fail in the mission of saving L, and let the world have Kira as god. He chose the former, and the second option was now taunting him in its grave.

Second, some of the chocolate in his bag melted. To top it all off, Near launched into some boring Science lesson about temperatures and the process of melting and the composition of chocolate, which gave Mello a headache. He almost punched the albino's lights out.

Finally, when they tried to get a cab, the driver thought he was a girl and called him a "pretty, young lady". Mello almost thought he saw the corners of Near's mouth turn up into a half-smile and he yelled his lungs out, losing his short temper. The driver got frightened and drove off, which ended in them standing on the sidewalk for two hours, trying to hail another cab. The new driver, this time, didn't speak much, which did them good.

Add the facts that he desperately wants Near to burn in hell, idolizes and looks up to L, loves Matt as a brother, is infatuated with chocolate, and despises being mistaken for a girl, then you'll probably be able to deduce that he's the most pissed person in the world right now. Oh- and don't forget the part about him wanting Near to burn in hell.

Near, meanwhile, twirled a strand of his white hair yet again, watching Mello from the corner of his eye. He was pleased. The older boy was fuming, but wasn't saying or doing anything that could get them kicked out of the cab, so everything was going to go well.

The twelve-year old albino watched as the world outside the vehicle blurred as they sped off towards the airport, and contemplated on the Death Note manga. It would have been clearer and more informative if they had gotten the first four volumes instead of five, six, and seven. Not that they were complaining, it was better than letting L be unaware of his death. Volume 7 ended with a new arc about him and Mello, and Near didn't like it. It was about Kira- no, Light Yagami working against two new opponents, of course, Mello and Near, who weren't together in capturing him.

The cab driver honked loudly as traffic ensued due to a truck accident on the road up ahead. Mello groaned. Near looked at him for a moment, thinking that everything was going to be fine as long as their little mission to Japan wouldn't fail. If they were to save L now, then things were to go better.

Mello wasn't going to need a reason to rebel and fight. Kira was most certainly going to be stopped. L was no longer fated to die.

* * *

L sneezed.

"Ryuzaki, did you know that if you sneeze, someone's thinking about you this very moment?"

The dark-haired, sugar-loving detective shifted his deep gaze from the computer screen to Touta Matsuda's cheerful face. "I don't believe that," he answered bluntly.

"Hey, there's a possibility!" the man cheerfully replied, "I'll give you a random number, and whoever you know whose name starts with the letter of the alphabet corresponding to that number, shall be the one who was supposedly thinking about you!"

"Matsuda-"

"How about number... twelve?"

L tried not to roll his eyes. "The twelfth letter of the alphabet is L."

Matsuda's mouth fell open. "W-what? Really? Cool! I didn't do that on purpose, honestly!"

"Your superstitious belief is quite astounding. I was thinking about myself," the detective said flatly.

"For all you know, Ryuzaki, I could have been the one thinking about you," Light, who was beside him, muttered lazily, "This just proves that you're arrogant and conceited. You're not the only person in the world whose name starts with an L."

The older man stared amusedly. "My most famous fake name is L. Besides, my real name could start with another letter, like X or Y or Z."

"If that's the case, then why L?"

"Because I believe it is a powerful letter that leaves much impact when said."

"Wait!" Matsuda yelled loudly, interrupting the two, "Does this mean that my superstitious belief is true now that you're arguing about it?"

"We were arguing because of it, not about it. We were arguing about my name. Anyway, your belief about a person sneezing because another might be thinking about them is very unlikely to be true. A one point zero one percent possibility," L calculated tonelessly. "I'm not relying on that."

"You just made those numbers up!" Matsuda cried indignantly.

L did not reply, knowing that he had better things to think about than false beliefs involving a simple sneeze. Besides, who in the world would even bother to think about me now? Wait, that was a stupid question. Many people in this world must be thinking about the great detective L. If, for some miraculous reason, Matsuda's belief is true, then he'd be comically sneezing all day.

But then again, anything is possible with the existence of Death Notes, Shinigami, and manga books appearing out of thin air.

Soichiro Yagami entered the room. "Light, look at these reports; don't they look suspicious?"

Light moved from the seat beside him. "Oh yes, dad, it does... What about the others you showed me a while ago?"

"They turned out to be false. Mogi and Aizawa found a few more files about them."

"Shame. It seemed like a good lead at first."

"Well, it turned out to be a small group of teenagers pretending to be Kira."

L wasn't listening to the conversation. He was pondering about being more careful around Light now that it was clear he was Kira. At one point in the manga, Ryuk had mentioned that relinquishing ownership of the Death Note would mean erasure of all memories of it. That's what Light must have done while he was imprisoned. He knew that L would soon have no other option but to release him. He must have planned something in order for him to regain his memories after his release. The detective took a sip from his coffee full of sugar cubes.

"This new lead seems like a practical joke to me," came Light's voice.

"I see. Well, there's nothing else, so I thought that anything would do..."

"It's understandable. At least you take things by looking for a solution instead of stubbornly insisting on something that isn't true."

"Light, don't pick a fight with him now!"

L continued with his thoughts, ignoring the world around him. The only way Light could regain his memories was by touching a Death Note again. He must have told Ryuk to give him back the Death Note after his imprisonment- but no, Ryuk had stated in the first volume that he wasn't taking sides; therefore he wouldn't have done that to help. Misa Amane also gave up her memories, so her Shinigami Rem was gone as well.

Light scoffed, noticing the dark-haired man's absence of mind. "Well, obviously, it seems like he doesn't care."

"Yeah, he's just staring at you weirdly," Matsuda observed.

"Ryuzaki? Ryuzaki. Oi, Ryuzaki!" Light yelled. "Great. He's oblivious to everything that's happening right now."

Soichiro sighed. "He's thinking deeply... again."

"Lost in his thoughts, most probably too brilliant for any of us to comprehend," Matsuda added sadly.

"Ryuzaki, what is wrong with you? Stop that!"

L didn't hear anything that was said to him, his thoughts incessantly whirring around his brain. Light must have instructed Ryuk to give the Death Note to someone else who would be able to return it to him after his release... but who? And where could L even get evidence of Light being Kira if the man couldn't remember anything about it? There was no end to the continuous questioning.

"RYUZAKI!"

L snapped out of his thoughts, realizing that Light was yelling at him.

"I can hear you perfectly well, thank you," L retorted offhandedly, giving the younger man a simple glare. He then retreated back to contemplating deeply.

It was clear then that he only had two options: Either he would find the person currently in possession of one of the Death Notes, or he would find the other Death Note that Light hid somewhere safe. L could try looking for both, but he decided to focus on finding the hidden notebook, knowing that it could end up in the wrong hands somehow. His thoughts involuntarily poured into his brain ceaselessly. If Light could get back his memories but not be able to find his own Death Note ever again, then it would be better.

At that moment, L concluded that the Death Note should be retrieved and discarded immediately. He would just have to find it and it would be a piece of cake.

"RYUZAKI!" Light was yelling again. "You're getting on my nerves! Stop staring at me like that or I'll-"

"A piece of cake..." L mumbled absentmindedly, getting out of his seat and exiting the room.

Everyone stared incredulously at the detective, who simply shuffled away.

"What the hell could that guy be thinking about?" Light mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Soichiro reminded him softly, "Well, Light, nobody, no matter how close, can read L's thoughts."

Matsuda added, being the unhelpful idiot he is, "Yeah, I bet even Watari can't do it."

Light snorted, mentally cursing the unreasonable, biased, stubborn, and exceedingly weird sugar-loving detective out of annoyance.

* * *

**I hope you all liked it. Don't worry; you'll get more answers to your questions in the next chapter, which has more action. :D**


	3. Alteration

**Sorry for the two-week-and-a-half wait. I enjoyed writing this chapter. Fate and Destiny are my OCs, by the way. Hope you have fun reading. :)**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Alteration**

He was always an impatient one- Fate. His sister, Destiny, was in charge of restraining him from making rash decisions involving the time and space continuum and affecting the world in gigantic ways.

Well, basically, Destiny had, once again, failed to stop Fate from doing something utterly stupid. This time, he had discovered some sort of Japanese book about death and got so obsessed with it that he sort of made it real.

Destiny sighed. "Damn it, Fate. Stop kidding around. Now, tell me what you really did do!"

"I'm not kidding, onee-chan, I-"

"Will you stop attempting to speak Japanese in freakishly adorable voices? Now explain properly!"

Fate laughed. "Okay, so it all started when I got bored one day and went searching for something to fanboy on, and then-"

"YOU WENT ON A SEARCH TO FANBOY ON SOMETHING?"

"Come on, Des, the world gets boring sometimes," Fate answered easily.

Destiny scoffed. "Think, you bastard. The last time you fanboyed on something, you altered the future and almost started World War III."

Her brother ignored the last comment. She tried not to hit him and glared at him to go on, wanting to get it all over with. Fate cheekily grinned, adjusting his black cloak. "I transported a random otaku girl's manga into the story of the manga itself."

Destiny growled, "LIAR! You told me that what you did had nothing to do with clashing the real world with one of the fictional worlds!"

"Well, I just wondered what would happen if L and his successors had the upper hand on Light Yagami by getting the manga volumes containing their futures. Don't forget, Des, some of the fictional worlds I altered ended up as hits! Like Titanic. People loved it when the two lead characters kissed; I saw ladies crying their hearts out next to me in the movie house! And Harry Potter. Come on, Des, we both know that J.K. Rowling initially planned for Voldemort to win, and that my changing of Harry's future made lots of fans love it," Fate countered.

"Hey! Everyone thought the seventh book epilogue was crap!" Destiny retorted haughtily, "Look at Twilight. I still don't understand why you made Bella and Edward have a vampire child."

Fate pouted. "Hunger Games! Supernatural! The Walking Dead! Sherlock Holmes! The Big Bang Theory! Axis Powers Hetalia! Chronicles of Narnia! Fullmetal Alchemist! Vampire Diaries! Naruto! Bleach! Kuroshitsuji! Lord of the Rings! Hell, even Spongebob Squarepants! Admit it, Des. I have more successes than failures."

"Idiot! About eighty-eight percent of the fictional worlds you altered ended terribly," Destiny said, rolling her startling, bright-red eyes and twirling her long, black hair, "Death Note is one of the top ten best anime/manga ever, as online polls have reported. You might destroy it into ranking bottom of the list."

"We'll see about that, Destiny. This will be a victory for L," Fate whispered softly, turning and disappearing into the mist.

Destiny sighed again. "Stupid otaku. No matter how brilliant L seems to be as a character, I still think your fiction-meddling won't make Death Note better than it is..."

* * *

"Watari."

Watari turned to find L standing casually behind him. "Yes? What may I do for you, Ryuzaki?"

"We're going on a search."

The older man did not reply for a while as he gazed questioningly at the man whom he looked to as a son. "A search, Ryuzaki? For what?"

L continued sucking his thumb and slouched, pacing around the room. He seemed uncertain of what he was about to ask for and frankly, Watari always knew that wasn't a good sign- either L is doubting the success of his following actions, or he has no idea whether or not something is possible.

"Ryuzaki, you-"

"Did you read the manga I told you to read?"

"Yes," answered Watari quietly.

"I have suspicions that Light Yagami hid his Death Note, therefore discarding all memories of being Kira," L stated briskly. He looked up, revealing his dark, calculating, and` perceptive eyes behind the black, messy hair. "He instructed a Shinigami, either Ryuk or Rem, to get him in contact with the notebook after his release- eighty-four point seven percent chance that it's through another person."

"I see," Watari said pensively, nodding. Obviously, L's been thinking of this theory for a long time. "And this is related to the search... how?"

L looked down. "We have to look for the Death Note before Light comes in contact with it."

"But Ryuzaki-"

"I know. There are several places in Japan where Light could hide a notebook; I expected some doubt-"

"Ryuzaki!"

L looked up again. Watari sighed. "I don't doubt your decisions. You're L and I'm Watari. I trust your choices. Besides, I don't blame you for deciding to have this search. It is much better than nothing. I will see what I can do."

"I... I'm glad you understand, Watari," L mumbled so softly that it was almost unheard.

The older man smiled. "Of course I understand. Anyway, what worries me is that there are two Death Notes- Light's and Misa's. Even if we find one, what are the odds of us finding the other?"

"There's a twenty-two point three percent chance we'll find both. There's a sixty-one point five percent chance we'll find only one. There's a seventeen point two percent chance we won't find any of them at all..." L replied, "Also, I believe that Light's Death Note is currently hidden in a place and Misa's Death Note is with a person- a third Kira."

"That sounds plausible. When do we start?"

"Tomorrow. We shall waste no time," L said hastily, "If we find the hidden Death Note, we can study it and give back Light his memories only when we have enough evidence. Then, Kira can be brought to justice. As for Misa Amane and the anonymous third Kira, we'll have to wait and see our search unfold first..."

Watari solemnly nodded. "Understood. I will search through the whole Kanto region of Japan by all means possible."

"Good. There's a ninety-one point five percent chance he's hidden one of the two Death Notes in a place full of trees or an empty building. Prioritize places matching those descriptions first," L added calmly. "Please, do everything you can to find at least one of the Death Notes, Watari."

"Yes..."

L opened the door and walked a few steps when he cried back softly, "Ah, please bring me some cake as well."

And he left.

* * *

Near frowned as Mello grinned triumphantly for getting the window seat, once again acting like everything between them was a competition. They were currently in the airplane on the way to Japan.

"What are you looking at, jerk?" Mello sneered, narrowing his blue eyes.

"I wasn't looking at you. I was looking at the sky outside," Near corrected flatly.

Mello grumbled as he kept quiet, retrieving a chocolate bar from his pocket and eating instead. The flight attendant was extremely pretty and he decided to stare at her for a while in order to distract himself from the unnerving albino seated next to him.

Near continued twirling a white strand of his hair and thinking of the possibilities and challenges that awaited them in Japan. What they were doing was bold and dangerous but that wasn't going to stop them. His thoughts then drifted to L. He wondered what the world's greatest detective was doing at the moment and silently decided that he was currently handcuffed to Light Yagami, or Kira.

"Hey Near," said Mello softly.

"What?"

"I still think we should have brought Matt with us," the blond said quietly, "He deserved to know, and he's third in line to be L's successor so-"

Near interrupted in his usual, monotone voice, "We've already talked about this. I thought we agreed that his help would be of assistance if things were to get worse. The lesser we are, the lesser attention we attract. Besides, we wouldn't want another person's safety being risked here."

"Yeah, I guess so," Mello sighed. He then glared at Near. "I still feel bad about keeping him in the dark, though."

"You can explain it all to him as soon as we get to Japan."

Mello nodded. "Right." He took another bite and chewed for five minutes, swallowing soon after. Then, he spoke again. "Another thing."

"What?" Near asked.

"How do you think will we conduct the search for L?"

"I still haven't thought about that part yet," the younger boy confessed truthfully, frowning, "But I'm sure that it will be difficult."

"Oh no, of course it won't! We're going to find a person who specializes in not being found, remember? What a piece of cake," Mello said sarcastically.

Near didn't say anything anymore, continuing his deep pondering on the situation. The older boy made him realize that a search for L was bordering on ridiculous. But it will have to do, or else he will die and Kira will be at large. Challenging, yes. Impossible, no.

The two sat in an uncomfortable, awkward silence for several, long minutes. An old man was snoring loudly. A woman in headphones hummed along to a catchy, upbeat song in her ipod. Two teens were gossiping about the latest news on their favorite actor. A group of businessmen quietly discussed the market share of a famous company. Three kids were playing around somewhere at the front seats while an older teenager was trying to restrain them.

Several arguments later, the older blond boy fell asleep, face pressed against the window and half-eaten chocolate bar lying abandoned on his lap. He was tired. Near smiled slightly, relieved, as he enjoyed the first few moments of silence since they left Wammy's House.

* * *

"It's another draw!" Matsuda exclaimed excitedly.

Both L and Light looked at him with annoyed looks on their faces, which made him back off sheepishly.

Light stood up. "You know, Ryuzaki, we can play chess some other time. It's obvious that all our games will end up as draws as well, like they always do, and it'll be fruitless just sitting here, wasting time, if we can find something about Kira anyway."

"I suppose so," L replied monotonously, standing up and following Light towards the computers. "I have a feeling we won't be able to find anything, though."

"Oh, don't be so negative. I'm sure that in the depths of my soul, I'm actually Kira."

L stared.

"I was being sarcastic, Ryuzaki."

The two geniuses then took their respectives seats beside each other in front of the computers, working on different files. Mogi and Aizawa helped out in researching about further details while Soichiro assisted in finding information. Matsuda was in charge of bringing them coffee.

That was how things were in the task force.

But secretly, L was holding his own investigation. He frequently observed Light, not letting him out of his sight whenever he could, but leaving him whenever he had other duties to attend to. Watari was holding the search quite well, but after a month, there were still no findings on any Death Note at all.

L was starting to be pessimistic about things. He was starting to consider the possibility that Light hid the Death Note so well that nobody would ever be able to retrieve it, not even under Watari's searches. However, he knew that there was no backing down, not until the true Kira could suffer under the punishments of justice.

Meanwhile, Light was doubting his innocence, wondering if he really was as capable of being Kira as L thought he was.

* * *

**I love writing about Near's and L's thoughts. They're both really awesome geniuses, you know. Anyway, I'm not sure if anyone cares or is reading this stuff, so I'll just politely ask for reviews. Buh-bye! :)**


	4. Conversation

**Hey everyone! I just came from a family vacation trip to a farm. I saw lots of fruits and trees and stuff. Plus, the air was so fresh and we had a wonderful view of a volcano. :D**

**Oh by the way, many people were asking about volumes 8-12. You guys just have to wait and see where the missing manga went, actually. You'll find out soon... ^_^**

**Anyway, I'm back with another chapter of Opposing Destiny! Yay! =P**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Conversation**

Matt sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes. Another boring day ahead.

"Damn it, Mello..." he muttered, "You're killing me slowly, minute by minute. My curiosity's itching to be fed. You could have dropped at least one hint or something."

Sunlight streamed through the window, slightly concealed by the dark brown curtains. The bed was messy, pillows and blankets draped all over the place, and an abandoned PS3 lay still on the floor. Matt himself looked quite untidy, with his hair bedridden and shaggy- somewhat like L's.

But then again, L was partly the reason why Matt was on the verge of tearing his hair out of his head. His best friend, Mello, and his close acquaintance, Near, both left Wammy's House at the young ages of fourteen and twelve, respectively. Roger instantly reported the incident to Wammy, who, of course, had immediate connections with the great L.

The day before, Matt had eavesdropped on Roger's door. The old man, and current caretaker of the Wammy's House, had been receiving an important call from Wammy himself. Most of the conversation seemed to be about Mello and Near's escape. According to the side of the call in which Matt was listening to, L did not care at all whether two boys from the orphanage left or not. He seemed to think that they were to be allowed their freedom... but what was unknown was why.

The redhead so vividly remembered the conversation yesterday. "What? L believes that the boys are to be left to their own intentions?" Roger had said, horrified, behind the door where a microphone had been installed. Matt had gasped softly when he heard that part, his mind racing for reasons as to why L would be so careless about Mello and Near's safety.

The redhead couldn't stop thinking about what had just occurred. He soon came to the conclusion that L could actually be in trouble with the Kira case and might possibly want his successors to help him. But how would Mello and Near know about that if they weren't in contact with him?

Matt opened the door and went outside. A few kids were running down to eat breakfast. The thirteen-year old gamer followed slowly, his incessant thoughts filling his head. He realized that maybe they found out some valuable information involving L and decided to go to Japan to tell L, who could have no idea that it has something to do with him, so he's simply guessing the reason why they escaped, not knowing that his guess is true...

He started making his way downstairs, head still full of concern, resentment, and information.

He didn't know that he came so close to the truth.

* * *

Watari sighed, crossing out another section of the Kanto region on his printed-out, more accurate version of the satellite-view map of Japan. Next, he would have to go check out an area near a public high school. Hopefully, he'd come closer to the end of the search as soon as possible. L was now becoming more and more restless, and ever since the news of his top two successors' escapes, he had been a whole lot edgier around him.

L was actually standing behind him at that very moment, watching his every move. "Watari-"

"Yes, Ryuzaki, I know. It's quite frustrating."

"How about the search team you assigned? Have they found anything?" L asked curiously, "There's bound to be at least something."

Watari frowned. "Apparently not, Ryuzaki. There's only nine of them, since you let me choose only the most trustworthy acquaintances we had. We've only been on this for a month. Please wait."

"I am tired of waiting, to put it simply," L deadpanned flatly, his dark eyes staring deep into Watari's. "I have a theory that Near and Mello have found the following volumes, and that they escaped to warn me about something they had just read. They wouldn't leave the orphanage for apparently no reason at all, especially since Roger reported normal behavior from both of them before the escape."

"So you're saying that you want to take immediate action, like they're doing."

"Yes," L sighed, exasperated.

Watari chuckled. "You were never fond of sitting and doing nothing..."

L nodded, pouting. "You are right; I never was."

"Yes. That's also another reason why you mostly don't sleep at all," the older man said reproachfully, "You should rest for a while, Ryuzaki. You're obviously more tired than usual. When was the last time you slept?"

"That is none of your concern. I believe the Kira case won't be solved by a sleeping man abandoning his most important duty of justice," L replied coldly.

Watari scowled, realising that the detective was in a bad mood. "That is not what I meant."

L frowned. The twenty-four year old detective shrugged and turned, making his way out the door. "I know, and I'm sorry. I guess I do need rest. I will be in my room, sleeping. Please continue searching for the Death Note. Notify me of any further information about Near and Mello. Goodnight, Watari."

Quillsh Wammy hoped that L really was planning to sleep, and wasn't lying about going to rest.

Light Yagami shut down his computer and stood up from his chair, stretching. Everyone else had gone for the night and L had left earlier to talk to Watari about some important things.

Light yawned as he stood in silence for a few minutes, taking in the darkness surrounding him. He ran a hand through his very messy, brown hair.

Suddenly, the side door opened, revealing L. He was slouching with his thumb in his mouth, his white shirt was slightly crumpled due to having been worn for so long, and he was so worn out that he didn't even see Light as he entered the room.

"Hey Ryuzaki," Light called out.

L turned, mildly surprised. "Light. Why are you awake at such a late hour in the night?"

Light scoffed. "Oh, look who's talking."

"I rarely sleep. Everybody knows that."

"Yeah, were you planning to sleep tonight?"

L paused. "Yes, yes I was."

"Liar," said Light viciously, "You look like you're about to do more work."

There was an awkward silence as L chose not to reply. Light frowned.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Light? Did I say something?" L interrupted his thoughts curiously.

Light sighed. "No, it's nothing. I was just wondering what was wrong with you."

L said blankly, "Nothing is wrong with me."

"Is that supposed to be a bad joke?" laughed Light.

The older man narrowed his eyes at his companion, obviously displeased as to where the conversation was going. He simply walked off, continuing towards the stairs.

"Wait, Ryuzaki!"

L turned, slightly irritated. "What is it now?"

Light grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his messy, brown hair once again. "Sorry, I guess."

"There is nothing to apologize about. If you believe that there is something wrong with me, then I do not wish to stop you from thinking so. I have no significant reason to do that, and I do not intend to prove myself to anyone except those who dare insult me. By the way, what you said earlier was barely an insult compared to what I've gone through before. Don't think too highly of yourself when it comes to getting to my nerves because you haven't even-"

"Whoa, loosen up, won't you? Don't be so tense and uptight," Light said lightly, "We're not arguing, you know. If you're pissed, just say so."

L glared sharply at the eighteen year-old man standing lazily before him. "Alright then... I'm pissed. Now good night." And he walked up the stairs.

"Good night, Ryuzaki. Make sure you sleep!"

"Yes, I will."

Light rolled his eyes, fixing the case report file papers on the desk and putting them in his bag. He worked silently for five, quiet minutes and then yawned as he finished. He went up the stairs and crossed the hall straight to his room.

As soon as he entered his room, he fell back on the bed without changing, letting sleep take him over.

* * *

Mello groaned, realizing that the pack of chocolate he had bought just the other day had already been finished.

"If only you would stop eating one piece every four minutes, then maybe your chocolates would last a week or so," Near commented thoughtfully, noticing the cause of Mello's newfound despair.

"HEY!" the blond fourteen-year old retorted angrily, "It's not as if you're doing anything helpful!"

Near looked at the older boy blankly, his dark eyes revealing no emotion whatsoever. "I am looking for L's current location. I am also trying to find evidence against Kira."

"Oh, come on! It's been a month. Kira's surely impossible to deem guilty; we don't have access to informative evidence regarding him," Mello said, getting up from his lazy position on the couch and standing next to Near in front of the cheap computer they had purchased. "As for L, well, he's doing a good job staying hidden. That's supposed to be good news, right?"

"Don't forget that Light Yagami, or Kira, is currently standing next to L himself, and that if we don't find L soon, he might get killed."

Mello felt like punching himself. "Damn it, you're right."

The younger boy did not reply, keeping his eyes focused on the news involving another death. Then, he looked up at Mello. "I've already figured out that L isn't in any hotel or condominium. I looked into every check-in list and none of the aliases L had used in his whole career were registered. A few months ago, there were some familiar fake names, but I have reason to believe that L is currently staying in a private building. Besides, pictures in the manga clearly show how the building looks like, but it is never revealed what the exact location and address is."

"A private building? If that's the case, then tracking him would be a piece of cake!"

Near nodded. "I have eleven buildings under suspicion of housing L. However, if we do find him, then we can't approach him just yet. We have to make sure that we'll go to him during a time wherein he isn't in a pressuring situation."

"How the hell should we know that?" Mello answered, glaring at Near.

"We'll come to him on a time where the killings have competely stopped, or at least delayed," the albino said simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Mello realized this and scowled at the twelve year-old, tossing aside the empty box of chocolate he had been fiddling with for the past few minutes.

"Right," the fourteen year-old said, "But what do you think is L doing right now?"

Near twirled a strand of his hair thoughtfully. "Hmm... I believe L is struggling to find evidence against Light Yagami, but I think that it's impossible in his current position. What we can do, though, is look for the Death Note buried in the woods, as said in the manga, so we can give it to L."

"Then, maybe we can finally apprehend Kira," Mello added, nodding, "As for the Yotsuba case, we can take it on instead of the task force so things will be faster. We'll be able to end up with Higuchi's Death Note, which was previously Misa Amane's, and arrest them both as well."

"Rem is a problem, though," Near said, frowning. "She'll kill anyone who tries to hurt Amane."

"Damn, I forgot about that!" Mello exclaimed.

The younger boy sighed. "The only way to stop Amane and Yagami is to give them back their memories and prove evidence against them without getting hurt by any Shinigami. We'll have to make sacrifices if we want to help L solve this case-"

"This is complicated," the blond boy interrupted impatiently.

An awkward silence filled the room as Near continued thinking of what plans to make as Mello stared quietly out the window. They both didn't admit it to each other, but they knew that their rivalry and hate was slowly decreasing as the Kira case went by.

"I have a question, Mello," said Near softly, "Why didn't you tell Matt our reason for leaving yet?"

Mello scowled. "I don't know how to explain to him. Also, it's better if he doesn't know. He might just go after us and endanger himself."

"I see..."

And they continued working in silence.

* * *

**Aaaand it ends there. Heh, I loved writing tense L, douchey Light, robotic Near, and edgy Mello. TROLOLOL.**

**FYI, this chapter was originally so much longer but I divided it into two chapters so as not to make the story seem rushed. Oh well. I guess you'll all see more from me in a few days, when I'm done editing the next chapters. -_-**

**Read and review! Please and thank you! :D**


	5. Location

**Feeling depressed today. Currently playing upbeat happy music and updating this story to cheer myself up. Hope you all like this chapter. :)**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Location**

L had been waiting for satisfying results ever since the search had started, which was exactly two months ago. He had expected that Watari would be able to find something soon and had stayed up all day and all night waiting.

Light, Misa, and the rest of the task force hadn't really noticed any change in his behavior, although they knew that he and Light were the most affected by the lack of activity showed by Kira. Light, especially, had been trying to prove to L that he wasn't Kira himself, and the detective could never care less about what the younger man would try to tell him. He was ninety-nine point nine nine percent sure that Light Yagami was Kira, and instead focused on the searches for the Death Note.

Eventually, when Watari had finally found it, L was asleep.

"Where is Ryuzaki?" he had asked, entering the room where the task force worked. He quickly scanned the place for the slouching, messy-black haired, sugar-loving, genius detective.

"He was actually getting tired so he went up to his room to rest," Light answered nonchalantly, not bothering to look up from the computer screen he was staring at. "I'm as shocked as you are; believe me."

Watari tried not to look as surprised as he felt. Soichiro turned around and asked him, "Yes, that's right; is there anything wrong, though?"

"No, not at all. I just wanted to ask him to choose between chocolate and strawberry for his cake tonight," Watari quickly came up with an excuse.

"I see."

He then walked out of the room and made his way up the stairs, wondering what L's reaction would be to the results he was about to present to him. He couldn't help but find it quite amusing how he had finally succumbed to sleep on the very day he was actually going to be able to tell him good news. The frustration must have gotten to him at last.

Watari arrived in front of the door and knocked. There was no answer.

"Ryuzaki?" he called out softly, entering with the spare key. It was very dark, exactly the color of pitch black, so Watari had to look for the light switch. He then turned it on and saw L sprawled out on the bed, looking extremely exhausted.

"Ryuzaki, wake up," he said quietly, gently shaking him.

No response.

"Ryuzaki, wake up," he said more firmly, shaking him with slight force.

L opened his eyes and sat upright quite quickly and abruptly, as if cold water was splashed all over him. "W-Watari! What happened? D-did something-"

"No, no," Watari said soothingly, staring down at L with concern, "Calm down, Ryuzaki. I just needed to tell you something important and you wouldn't wake."

"Oh..." L mumbled, standing slowly, looking more alert than ever. "Does it have something to do with Near and Mello? Or the search for the Note?"

He mentioned his successors first, which meant that he had begun to worry about them more and think that the search was becoming useless. Watari sighed. "We've found the Death Note. It was buried in the woods somewhere close by the To-Ou University. You'll have to come down to my office; it's now safely hidden there. It was Puma's group who found it. All the people who helped us have already received their share of the money we offered."

"That's- Watari, that's- that's excellent!" L exclaimed, jumping to the door. "Let's go."

"Alright then. I haven't actually opened it yet," Watari said.

After passing by the main room where the task force was dutifully working, L had completely dropped his mask of indifference. He was walking more briskly now, hands in his pockets. He even let the excited glint in his eye shine through, which he had tried very hard to keep blank behind his dark bangs earlier. He was having a really difficult time concealing his happiness.

They entered the room and Watari instantly went over to a hidden drawer underneath a computer desk at the side. He brought out the key and unlocked it, handing the Death Note carefully over to L, who held it in his usual, delicate way, between index finger and thumb.

"Death Note," he read out loud, "It is exactly as it looks like in the manga."

Watari nodded. L then opened it and read through the rules and names, taking his time. After exactly five minutes, he closed it shut and looked at the older man standing beside him with a solemn expression on his face.

"I am quite pleased with this, Watari," he said softly, "And I thank you for working hard on this search. However, you would have to do something else."

"As expected, Ryuzaki."

L heard a noise behind him and turned as fast as a bullet.

"Ryuzaki?"

"I thought I heard... and saw something from the corner of my eye," L said quietly, wondering if he was starting to have hallucinations. No, there was a twelve point sixty-two percent chance of that. The last time he had hallucinations was his sugar rush three years ago. "No, don't bother. I was imagining things," he lied.

Watari stared. "Alright. So what was it that I needed to do?"

"I want you to get a prisoner to use this notebook and write the name of another prisoner on death row," L said simply.

"What can that achieve?" Watari asked, wanting to know if his suspicions were right.

L stared scornfully at the black notebook. "It will prove if the Death Note actually works. We'll need a prisoner to write the name because using this notebook means that there's no going to heaven or hell. It would be better than having a perfectly good person writing a name. We'll need a prisoner on death row because, well, obviously, the person is to die."

"That makes sense."

"Of course it does," L replied swiftly, putting the notebook on the desk near them. He then added as an afterthought, "What doesn't make sense, though, is that a Shinigami hasn't appeared to us yet."

Watari gasped. "Right! A Shinigami-"

Then, they saw a death god float down from the ceiling. "-has been watching and listening this whole time," it interrupted cunningly.

"Ryuk... isn't it?" L whispered softly, staring up at the Shinigami as if it was a perfectly normal human being.

"Huh, you didn't get scared or frightened by my dramatic entrance. I was hoping that there'd be thunder and lightning today, but you guys are nowhere near a window, so it'd be hopeless. Well, whatever. Yup, that's right, though I have no idea how you found out about my name," Ryuk answered, obviously bored.

L frowned. "I doubt you'll answer my questions with a hundred percent honesty, but I will interrogate, anyway."

"Well, that sucks. I was bummed out enough when your people found my Note buried in the damn woods. It should've been hidden enough," Ryuk carelessly said, "I know who you are, by the way. You're that famous detective L who's been trying to find Kira-"

"Kira was the previous owner of this Death Note, correct?"

"Don't know."

"Of course he is. Lind L. Tailor's name is written here, and so are the names of other criminals he had killed," L said pensively, "Was it Light Yagami? And is it true that he doesn't have any memory of being Kira whatsoever?"

"Damn, you- uhh, don't know."

"Yes, of course Light Yagami was Kira. Is Misa Amane the second Kira, and is her Shinigami the one called Rem?"

"D-don't know."

"Ryuk, do you love apples?"

The question threw the death god completely off guard. "What?"

"Watari has some, don't you, Watari?" L said, pleased that the search was successful. The death god had reacted exactly as he had expected him to. It was time to reward it a prize of some sort- apples.

The older man nodded faintly, still staring at the Shinigami. He exited the room, leaving it with L.

"You're weird, you know," Ryuk commented, leaning casually on the table. He looked at the Death Note. "Are you sure you're not going to use it?"

L glared at the death god, replying firmly, "No. I would never."

"Okay then," Ryuk answered. "Kira sure seems to have lots of fun with it, though. Give it a try or something~!"

L ignored the last comment.

Watari entered the room with a basket of apples. He watched solemnly as the Shinigami quickly grabbed a few and ate them before he could even spell L. Munching sounds filled the whole room.

"Watari, please do as I had told you to do earlier. Don't forget to keep the Death Note safe and hidden as well," L ordered, making his way out of the room with the eating Shinigami following close behind. "Also, bring me cake in a little while."

"Doesn't he get tired of serving you all day?" Ryuk asked curiously as they walked to the main room.

L answered honestly, "I really don't care if he is tired or not. He promised to help me be the best detective I can, and he once told me that he really doesn't mind the difficulty of the tasks I present to him. Watari is extremely faithful."

Ryuk smirked. "Like a dog."

"Ah, a dog fits your description more, actually, since you have to follow me wherever I go," L countered tonelessly, hoping that the annoying death god would try not to irritate him even more. It scoffed as it floated along beside him.

* * *

Near entered the apartment room, pleased with his new results. He was quite sure Mello would be dying to find out the information he had just uncovered.

The albino came inside and closed the door behind him. What puzzled him was that Mello was shouting. It seemed as if the blond had discovered something as well, something of equal importance as the information he had just found out. Near scowled, watching Mello go from content to extremely gleeful.

"HA! I told you I'd find him first, and I did find him first! You just wouldn't listen to me," Mello bragged haughtily, his blue eyes glittering with delight, "I found L's location and you didn't! I can't believe you forgot to consider the times the buildings were built."

Of course. His happiness was due to uncovering L's hideout before Near could. "I told you already, Mello; I was taking my time. Finding L is not as important as finding Kira's hidden Death Note," Near defended, trying not to look as irritated as he felt.

Mello stuck out his tongue. "Ha! Making excuses! Not feeling so perfect now, are we?"

And he would never stop making useless comments like that. "Shut up, Mello. Which building is it exactly?"

"It's right in the center of the Kanto region, in the middle of the city. It was built only months ago, and its functions are unknown," the older boy answered swiftly, grinning as he turned and faced the computer again. "Look at this. The residents are said to be private investigators, and the names are unknown to the public. Nobody really cares, actually, but that's suspicious enough to be L."

Near stared at the building from the zoomed in satellite view on the screen thoughtfully. It made perfect sense. Mello had done a good job. "That makes sense. It fits, too. This building was built not long after the check-out of one of L's fake names from a hotel a few towns away. L quite obviously transferred hide-out from here to there."

"Maybe he was in a hurry," Mello wondered out loud.

That, once again, made perfect sense. "Perhaps," Near replied offhandedly as he took a seat beside Mello in front of the computer, "However, we mustn't be so hasty. He might be busy, or in a tight position. We'll have to wait until everything seems convenient for him and us."

Mello nodded. "Right."

"And..."

"Yeah?"

Near twirled his hair again. "You are not the only one who has just discovered something important. I've found the exact location of where Light Yagami hid his Death Note."

"What?" Mello yelled furiously, "You could've said that sooner!"

"I was about to, but then you were shouting joyfully as soon as I came in the room," the twelve year-old albino said in a monotone, "I used accurate versions of satellite maps and searched manually in places filled with trees and abandoned buildings, since there's a ninety-one point six percent chance of the notebook being hidden in a place matching any of the two descriptions. I looked first at places close by Yagami's house and then places close by Yagami's university."

"And it was...?"

"A secluded place near the university. If I had randomly searched the Kanto region, it would have taken me three to five months to find it, but-"

Mello interrupted excitedly, "So where's the Death Note? Is the Shinigami here right now?"

Near shook his head and twirled his hair. "The place I found looked exactly like the place drawn in the manga, but I dug and the notebook was nowhere to be found."

"What? How's that possible?" the fourteen year-old blond boy exclaimed angrily. The albino simply looked at him, a look of calm patience in his light-colored eyes. After a few seconds, Mello suddenly added, "Of course. L knows. The Death Note isn't in the hiding place because he managed to find it first."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

"So you think he has volumes one to four, looked for the notes, found one, and is a hundred percent sure of Yagami and Amane being Kiras?"

"Precisely."

Mello whistled. "Wow. He's actually a step ahead. Well of course he is, what are we thinking- he's L. Hey, I wonder how many volumes of the manga are left and where they could be right now?"

"That's not the point," Near said reproachfully, staring at Mello with blank eyes, "Since L is in complete control of the first two Kiras, the only way we can help is to take charge of the third Kira- Higuchi."

"You're saying we're supposed to solve the Yotsuba case on our own so L could have an easier time?"

"Exactly."

"Nice," Mello answered, smirking, "Higuchi hasn't even started killing Yotsuba's enemies yet."

"Perhaps he will soon. It's been a few months since we arrived."

Silence finally reigned over the room as the two simply succumbed to thinking their ideas to themselves. The Kira case was surely going to come to a close soon now that they were helping L, who was actually a step ahead of Yagami. Things were going to end well, not like what happened in the manga volumes they had just read.

Near sighed. "I'm pleased with these results. You've done well. Thank you."

Mello glared. "What the hell, Near? You don't have to thank- Whatever," he cut himself off, standing and making his way out the door. He looked at the albino shrewdly before walking away, adding, "I'm going to buy some chocolates. Stay here and do whatever you want. And, uh, I'm pleased with your results too... or something like that."

The younger boy smiled slightly. "Yes, Mello. Be careful."

* * *

**Oh screw me; I love Near and Mello too much. I shouldn't excessively play with their harmless rivalry. They have more pressing things to attend to. LOL. And another plus I enjoyed in this chapter was Ryuk. He is gonna have such a swell time pissing L off. And L? He's as brilliant and lovable as ever. What do you guys think he'll do with the Death Note now, huh? REVIEEWW. ;)**

**BTW, for those with Tumblr accounts, follow me (veryloquacious); I follow back! Stop by my Deviantart as well (thenumbernineteen)! **

**Stay tuned for the next chapter. :D**


	6. Decision

**Insert believable excuse for lack of updates here. :)**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Decision**

Watari watched as the man slowly wrote the name Kaku Machucha in the Death Note. The man was sweating profusely and his hand was slightly shaking, although he didn't back down, finishing all the Japanese characters, now written in bad penmanship on the neat, fresh page.

The old man frowned, finding that he couldn't blame the poor guy. It was under L's orders that he was to tell him the real purpose for writing in that notebook. He knew that dying wouldn't lead him to heaven or to hell. Fortunately, the Shinigami Ryuk decided to stay with L. If he had come as well, the man might even have had a nervous breakdown.

"Sir," the prisoner said shakily, "P-please... You can take this now and leave me. I c-can't bear to-"

"Yes, of course," Watari quickly cut off, grabbing the Death Note from the prisoner's hands and leaving the cellar. The jailkeeper locked the door behind them and led him back to the main hall.

The old man's thoughts didn't cease. He sighed. In a few seconds, someone was going to come rushing to the jailkeeper, panicking that a prisoner on death row, Kaku Machucha, had died.

The Death Note.

Light Yagami.

Kira.

But this time- L, making sacrifices to solve the Kira case.

* * *

It wasn't that Near didn't trust him. It was just the sure fact that everything was going to be faster without the unnecessary arguments and disagreements that could be brought up between them.

Mello was in his room, sleeping, and was quite oblivious to the plans of his companion. All he knew was that they were working on helping L with the Kira case but were currently not doing anything much. However, Near was actually doing quite a lot.

He had already notified the police of his presence and that he could be trusted. The problem was that Higuchi. There was a possibility that he might not be in the correct place at the correct time. Things would go terribly wrong and the police might end up signing Near off as some sort of wannabe-L if that happened.

Near piled more and more dice, one on top of the other, and was slowly making an L-shape on the floor. He carefully arranged the dice and made sure that none would fall as he added more and more. Beyond his calm demeanor was actually a mind full of incessantly whirring thoughts.

He had a certain feeling that he would need Mello's help soon. However, if he refused to cooperate, everything would be messed up and then there would be obvious consequences. It was risky but necessary for Near to plan things on his own.

The dice were all used up and there was now an elaborate L on the floor- in Cloister Black font. Near sighed.

He was also awaiting Wedy's response. She had said yesterday that she'd call if ever she would make up her mind about helping. The possibility that she wouldn't help, though, was because she was always faithful to L. She might have already started thinking that Near was a threat and that by assisting him, she'd end up doing something wrong. The fact that Higuchi was highly unlikeable and that he could be Kira could have motivated her, though.

Near desperately needed her assistance. Wedy could install surveillance cameras and bugs in Higuchi's apartment and car, and even in the Yotsuba Company building. She just _had _to reply soon.

He stood up and walked over to the computer desk, where there was a plate of chocolate chip cookies beside his cellphone. He grabbed one and ate it, tasting the mellifluous, sweet, chocolatey substance.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

He answered. "This is-"

"I know you are not L, and if you dare give me another letter of the alphabet, I'm putting down the phone," said a female voice.

Near was slightly amused. "Wedy. You may identify me with any other name if you must, but I am not revealing my identity. Have you made your decision?"

"Yeah. I'm going to help. However, there are three terms that you must agree to before I start," Wedy replied nonchalantly, "First, I'm going to tell the real L about this as soon as I'm done. Second, you have to pay the discussed fee in either dollars or euros. I don't do pounds. Or yen. And because I don't want to go through all that money changer crap. Third, if it turns out that Higuchi is not Kira, then there's an additional thousand dollars to the money. That's all."

"All of the terms are plausible. I agree. Contact me as soon as you're done with your task," the thirteen-year old albino answered.

Wedy scoffed. "Yeah, sure thing, darling. Goodbye."

Near ended the call and smiled, twirling his hair. Everything was going well- _very_ well, even. Now all he needed to do was choose a good date for the plan to take place, tell Mello all about it, and inform the Japanese police of what they had to do.

He told himself softly, "Kira will be brought to justice... And justice will prevail."

* * *

Light Yagami was not a fool. He was not stupid; he was not gullible. He knew that L was keeping a secret from the rest of the task force, and he knew that he was the only one who had noticed. Not that he was worried or afraid or anything, but he had a bad feeling about this.

Sometimes, Light would admit to himself that he held a deep respect for L.

That he didn't care whether the damn detective suspected him or not.

But nothing stopped him from being suspicious. There was a possibility that L would try to arrest him again if ever he could actually get evidence. There could have been a high chance of him taking evidence from a certain source to prove his guilt. However, it wasn't possible. Not possible at all.

"Is something bothering you, Light?" came the gentle voice, with a certain air of sharpness.

The brown-haired, nineteen-year old man had his face in his hands, and looked up. L was currently looking at him with an unreadable expression in between concern and suspicion. There was an awkward pause as Light tried to think of a good reply.

"Nothing, I... I guess I'm just hungry," he mumbled faintly.

L just continued staring at him like an x-ray machine, his dark eyes scanning him curiously. Light felt annoyance surge through him, but kept his face blank. He decided that he hated L's perceptive, manipulative, and calculating eyes. He simply stared back with equal hardness, unblinking. L didn't back down.

A staring contest had started.

"I see," L finally said, after a few moments of silence, still staring, "Watari makes excellent cakes. I can call him to bring us something. What flavor?"

Light smiled halfheartedly. "Sure, cake would do fine. As for the flavor, well, you can choose that."

L stared even harder.

"Strawberry cheesecake would do, then."

"Okay."

L raised his left hand from his knee and pressed the call button, not even removing his gaze from Light.

Light's stare slowly and unintentionally turned into a glare.

L just continued staring unblinkingly.

Light glared sharply at his black-haired companion, ignoring the slight pain in his eyes.

L calmly stared back, head slightly tilted to the side like a curious child.

Light frowned, trying his best to keep his eyes open.

L smirked.

Light scowled, trying not to hit the man sitting across him.

L's smirk turned into an amused smile.

Light blinked, eyes slightly watering.

L grinned idly. "Three minutes, Light-kun. No one has ever been able to hold out for that long with me. We should do that again sometime."

"I'll try not to let you win again."

Light frowned miserably to himself, realizing that his actions were childish and extremely competitive- traits that Kira obviously had as well. He turned away from the detective beside him and focused on the cake that had just arrived.

L put his thumb in his mouth, wondering what Light was thinking as he grabbed his fork.

* * *

Shopping was very tiring. Ten bags and hundreds of new clothes and accessories later, Misa Amane had realized this. She shopped two to three times a week so that she'd avoid wearing the same clothes all over again, and be able to start new trends. She loved the feel of wearing something new and feeling really beautiful and confident because of it.

However, she wasn't feeling so good today.

Misa hadn't seen Light Yagami for over a week due to her business at work and his insistence that they were both to focus on their own occupations, and she actually followed. She actually followed. It had hurt, of course, but she knew that Light would never want to keep her away like that. She knew that, deep inside, Light Yagami really loved her.

Misa decided to herself that she would visit Light next week, since this week seemed to be pretty busy. There was going to be a shooting for the television show where she was invited to appear on.

She entered her car and ordered the driver to bring her home at once. She'd have to prepare the best clothes to wear for the following week, so Light would know that she was forever pretty whatever happened.

As soon as she got home, she brought out her pink, heart-charmed cellphone and sent a text to Light, clearly stating that she was going to visit the next week no matter what he said.

Light sent back a text saying that whatever happened, he was definitely not going to treat her like a pampered princess.

Misa replied that he was already making her feel like a pampered princess just by loving her.

Light answered that he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

Misa texted back that she knew he loved her deep inside.

Light gave no reply.

And Misa Amane went to bed.

* * *

"That staring contest you had with Yagami a while ago was really childish and pathetic," Ryuk sneered at L, amused.

L frowned, and then countered cunningly. "It is none of your business if I am childish and pathetic. Besides, he was the one who started it."

"Tch. Anyway, what's up?"

"If you're referring to why I left the task force again," L said tonelessly, continuing his steady walk towards Watari's room and ignoring Ryuk floating along beside him, "It's because I've confirmed that the Death Note does indeed work and that it isn't a fake."

Ryuk scoffed. "Thanks to your poor slave, as always. Besides, aren't I proof enough that the Death Note is real?"

"For the last time, Watari is not my slave. And as far as the Note is concerned, being certain is what I always aim for.

"Okay, sure thing," the Shinigami replied sarcastically.

They had reached Watari's room a few seconds after Ryuk's sarcastic statement. L knocked softly on the door with a certain air of sharpness, and the old man instantly opened it. They walked inside.

Ryuk was puzzled. "How did he know it was you?"

"Morse code," was L's simple answer.

Watari brought out the Death Note from the same drawer under the computer desk, holding it gravely as if it held a curse. "It worked. Kaku Machucha died."

"Well, of course he did!" Ryuk said nonchalantly.

The two human occupants in the room ignored the death god's comment and continued looking closely at the newly-added, few hours-old name written by a prisoner in a prison cell. Nobody spoke.

"Staring at the notebook won't help you," Ryuk laughed, rolling his eyes.

L ignored him once again. Watari decided to answer the creature for once. "Just a tiny look at it wouldn't hurt."

"Uh-huh," Ryuk replied boredly.

Everything went well. The Death Note which Light Yagami had used to kill most of his victims was in the same room as L. His death god was also in the same room as L. With all these, L finally had a more-than-fifty-percent-chance to bring Kira to justice.

"Watari."

"Yes, Ryuzaki?"

L put the Death Note down on the table and his thumb went straight into his mouth as he silently contemplated. His deep, dark eyes were focused entirely on Ryuk. "We can now apprehend Light Yagami and arrest him for being Kira. The moment he touches the notebook, all his memories will come back, catching him by surprise. Then-"

Ryuk scowled, interrupting rudely, "Brilliant plan, weirdo. But how do you know he doesn't have a back-up plan?"

"I don't know if he has a back-up plan and unfortunately, I'm quite sure that you have no intention of telling me if he does whatsoever," L confirmed, frowning, "But the evidence I've gathered right here, right now is very important and thus, cannot be abandoned just because Kira might have a back-up plan. If he does, then we'll just have to figure that out when the time comes."

Watari nodded. "Well said, Ryuzaki."

Ryuk grabbed an apple from the basket on the desk and gobbled it down instantly. He gave up trying to bring down L's good mood and scare Watari out of his wits. He was hungry. However, he knew that Light was now officially on the losing side of the battle between L and Kira. Things didn't go exactly as planned.

For that, L couldn't help but smile. "Kira will be brought to justice... and justice will prevail.

* * *

**Okay, screw me. I made Near and L say the same thing. And I made L and Light have a staring contest. I enjoyed too much. So there.**

**Anyway, there will be more Ryuk in the next chapter. And a few surprise characters who you definitely won't be expecting. And, unfortunately, more Misa. I suck at writing her, if you haven't noticed. Stay tuned for the next update; I guarantee that it will be more thrilling, serious, and action-packed, since L's plan shall be taking place. Review as well, please. :)**


	7. Intervention

**The following 3 chapters are very dramatic and climactic. Brace yourselves. :)**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Intervention**

Misa Amane left for the task force building quite early the next day. It was still eight o'clock, and people didn't usually leave their houses on weekends at eight o'clock.

She prepared herself quite well, her blond pigtails tied perfectly in hot pink ribbons, her lips colored a mild magenta. She was wearing a dark pink tank top with a denim blue mini skirt. Her heels were only two inches and a half that day, but the shoes were very classy, light pink and black, and her baby pink nails were polished perfectly.

Misa was excited, to say the least. She arrived at the task force building by eight forty-five, since the usual shortcut was blocked by a group of plumbers fixing a pipe leak. The sun was shining brightly, however, and the white, fluffy clouds in the blue sky gave no hint of gloom.

* * *

L had already prepared the Death Note and gathered the right evidence in his mind. First of all, he had to show the notebook to the task force and explain his previous actions and his theory that Kira must have hidden it. He'd make all of them touch it, and as soon as Light would come in contact with the Death Note, the memories would come flooding back, catching their Kira by surprise and further giving them more evidence as soon as he'd try and fail to explain himself. The writings in the notebook were proof enough that Light was Kira.

None of that happened.

Well, it was because something went very wrong, and L had to abandon the plan completely.

He tried his best not to blame Watari because the old man had done an excellent job keeping the Death Note hidden. The drawer under the computer desk could only be unlocked by a key, and the drawer itself was not made of wood as its brown color would deceive, but was made of stainless steel. The key, of course, was hidden beneath a secret compartment under the kitchen stove, which was only used by Watari, who was the only one in the whole building who could cook quite well.

Previously, Light was officially on the losing side of the battle between L and Kira. Now, they were even.

You may ask, how did L's flawless plan fail?

The Death Note was stolen.

* * *

Fate glared at his sister. "You did something! I know you did!"

"What did I do?" Destiny asked innocently, blinking.

"You fucking altered my version of Death Note! L's perfect plan is now flawed, and I know you have something to do with it," Fate yelled angrily, glaring at the shorter, more slender female version of him. "I'm going to kill you, you know!"

Destiny frowned, twirling a strand of long, shiny black hair. "Hey, hey. You can't just kill me because of an anime or a manga. We're twins and we can't control the world when one of us is dead. Magic already got mad since you involved her in your stupid game."

"I only asked her to transport some manga volumes into a fictional world," he replied, running a hand through his messy, black hair.

"Right. How about the time when you asked her to change the movie of Sabrina the Teenage Witch? She got pissed at you and-"

Fate interrupted, annoyed. "Can we not talk about that? The point is, you're fucking trying to make Light Yagami win in my Death Note alteration!"

Destiny smiled cheekily, her crimson eyes glittering, "It's called a challenge, Fate."

They both glared at each other for a long time, their black cloaks billowing in the wind. Fate spoke. "Fine. Whoever gets their side to win shall have five years of total control over the world."

"Just like what happened during World War II. Like how I made Hitler fail, I'm going to crush L using Light Yagami even faster than you can say Kira. Bring it on, brother," Destiny answered excitedly, turning around and walking away. She then disappeared into the mist.

Fate's cerulean blue eyes lit up in sheer fury. "L will win, Destiny. I'll make sure of that."

He then disappeared as well.

* * *

Rem was having an extremely dull time. She was currently following around a guy who was entrusted with a Death Note- a third Kira. His name was Kyosuke Higuchi and he worked in the famous Yotsuba company. As soon as Rem had laid her eyes on him, she knew that all the killings he'd go through with would be all for the greedy success of the company mentioned. She knew that this Kira would kill for profit, for monetary purposes.

And she was right.

As far as Light Yagami, the first Kira, was concerned, he and the investigation team along with L should have been taking the case on by then. However, something was wrong. Rem noticed that after two weeks, nobody tried to look into the events unfolding caused by Higuchi.

It seemed as if the task force was too busy to even bother.

While Rem's thoughts were whirring incessantly round her head, Higuchi was in his own world, vainly fitting on ties and suits as if he was the richest, most handsome man in the world. "This fits me quite well, hmm?" he would mutter occasionally to Rem.

The Shinigami honestly wanted to say that he looked absolutely horrid but decided to just grunt and nod. Right at that totally unglorious moment, the sun's rays seemed to glow brighter and Rem looked out the shop window to find, of course, Misa Amane. She was walking gracefully down the sidewalk, looking her best.

A perfect coincidence.

Rem instantly knew that the cute girl probably looked that good because she was on her way to visit Light Yagami. She watched Misa stare at a few dresses on sale, her instincts telling her that something bad could happen if she went near the Yagami boy again.

Meanwhile, Higuchi was still in conceited mode, trying on more suits and ties. "This one looks the best on me, it seems," he continued on quietly, "The price is doubled but it's worth it, anyway. Whatever. With the work we're doing, Rem, nothing will be in Yotsuba's way any longer and I can buy all the expensive suits, cars, and houses I want."

He turned, expecting his Shinigami to be nodding in sheer agreement, but instead, silence answered him. "Rem...?"

Then, his cellphone rang.

Rem floated along behind Misa, following her silently. She left Higuchi in the store.

"Light! I'm on my way there," the beautiful blonde said cheerfully on her phone, "I just made a detour through the new clothes sale in the new shopping square nearby. Don't fret, don't fret... Misa's fine. I miss you so much, you know. Just wait five minutes and we'll be able to have as much fun and love as we want, like before."

The Shinigami scowled as Misa continued in her usual happy tone of voice.. "Oh, what a funny joke, Light! Of course you don't hate me. Hahaha!"

Rem hoped her decision wasn't a stupid one.

As soon as Misa Amane entered the task force building, L had immediately told her to wait outside for Light Yagami instead of squealing around inside the investigation headquarters. Rem simply followed wherever the girl went. This obviously meant that L still had his suspicions over Misa and did not want her snooping around with Light as much as possible.

The ditzy blonde was currently humming a simple pop tune while waiting. If things were going normally, then Rem would simply have stood beside her and followed her to make sure she was safe, going safely back to Higuchi as planned.

However, things didn't go exactly as planned.

* * *

As soon as they were standing right outside the task force building, Rem had instantly felt the presence of another Death Note nearby. She then realized that L must have found the hidden Note, gaining the capability of capturing Light Yagami, which could affect Misa's safety greatly.

"Can Misa-misa go in now?"

The automatic door did not budge. Misa pouted. "Come on! I know you're controlling this thing, Ryuzaki! Let me in now!"

After a minute, it opened.

"Yay!" Misa exclaimed, skipping inside. "Where's my Light?"

She entered the main room, where the investigations were being held. Everyone was standing around the computers, working on some files, then turned to look at the new arrival. Several pairs of eyes rested on the bubbly, pretty girl who had just come in, but none of them belonged to the one she seeked.

A large swivel chair spinned, revealing L. "Misa Amane. You are to wait here quietly. Light is coming soon. He just went to fetch some files about-"

"Aww, come on!" Misa demanded, eyes blazing, "Call him here now, Ryuzaki!"

Rem, as soon as she came in the room, had noticed the dark, looming Shinigami hovering behind L. It was Ryuk.

She floated off, following her death god instincts to find the Death Note.

Ryuk sneakily followed behind her.

"Watari, please go to the bakery and buy ingredients for the new cake recipe I found in the internet," L spoke in the speaker.

"Yes, Ryuzaki," the old man replied, and the speaker was turned off.

L then shifted his gaze from the computer screen to Misa Amane. "Please wait patiently for Light. I just asked him to do a simple errand for me."

"You want him all to yourself, don't you?" Misa screamed accusingly.

The dark-haired detective shook his head. "No. I am ninety-eight point seven percent sure that I am not homosexual."

"Call him back now!" Misa yelled shrilly, ignoring the previous comment.

L, once again, shook his head. "No."

The door opened. Light Yagami entered, carrying himself in his usual, confident way. "What's going on here?"

"LIGHT! You took long enough!" the blonde said, delighted.

The brown-haired man scowled. "You actually came..."

Misa giggled. "Of course I did!"

"Whatever. Ryuzaki, here are some case reports on the previous deaths- hey!" Light said, handing L a few papers and glaring at Misa. The girl clung to his arm like glue and stared up at him with bright, loving eyes. She smiled and rubbed herself against his shoulder.

"Let's go out on a date! Please," she said convincingly, her blonde pigtails bouncing and her lip quivering in a way that would make any ordinary man surrender.

Light frowned heartlessly. "No, I have work to do."

"Ryuzaki, please let Light go with me!" Misa tried for one last time, standing in front of the detective pleadingly.

L sighed. "Fine, then. You can go if you'd like."

Light glared at the sugar-loving detective, absolutely sure that the man had agreed to make his own life miserable. Then, they went outside to eat lunch. The rest of the investigation team followed, going their separate ways to eat soon after. It was officially lunch break.

L put his thumb in his mouth as soon as he was alone in the room, realizing that Ryuk was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Rem thought floated swiftly through the rooms in the building. As she passed by the main room yet again, she watched L stare calmly at a computer screen.

L with his thumb in his mouth.

L in his weird sitting position.

L with his dark, black, messy hair.

L in his usual attire of white shirt and jeans.

L with a small bowl of ice cream.

L in his genius detective state.

L, the greatest enemy of Kira.

L, currently in possession of the Death Note.

She continued on her search, floating around the building and through the rooms in search for the Death Note.

Ryuk was actually following close behind.

* * *

Watari's room wasn't as big as the others, most probably because the number of equipment inside made it look small. It was cozy, fit for an old man, but perfect for one who was a detective's butler and greatest assistant as well. There were computers on the opposite side of the bed, and drawers right next to them.

Rem spotted something unusual. A drawer right below the computer table... concealed by a CPU. She pulled at the handle but it didn't budge. Of course, there most probably was a key, hidden somewhere else in the building.

Ryuk tried not to laugh as she went out of the room the opposite direction of the kitchen, where the key actually was, safe underneath a cooking stove. He floated slowly and calmly, knowing that the search would be difficult, useless, and cut short.

However, Ryuk was still Ryuk, and he had underestimated Rem.

Soon enough, Rem was in front of a safe underneath a cooking stove in a kitchen in the building. She decided to tell Misa about it first before opening and went off with the key still in her possession.

Ryuk followed.

* * *

Misa Amane entered the building, pulling Light Yagami behind her. They spent exactly an hour outside. All they did was go out to eat and then Light was inclined to buy a coat for Misa since she claimed to be freezing in the cold outside.

The blonde, now wearing her new pink coat, came in and excused herself. She went to the bathroom and faced the mirror to re-apply her makeup.

Suddenly, Misa felt a piece of paper touch her arm. Her skin went cold and a spine-chilling sensation filled her. She let out a tiny, little gasp as her mind was flooded with memories and thoughts that she had forgotten. Kira. Death Note. Shinigami. Rem.

"Misa," said a low, female voice, "Don't turn around or reply. L is listening and watching through cameras."

Not saying anything, she continued facing the mirror and dabbed powder on her face to signal that she knew Rem was there.

"Listen. Light Yagami's plans have failed. He currently has no memory of being Kira, since L found and now has his Death Note. I will steal the notebook and get it to you in a few minutes. Make him remember by touching him with a piece of the notebook because I won't do it and I know you'd want to," Rem said quickly.

Misa put the powder back in her bag and retrieved a tube of lipstick.

"I have the key here," the Shinigami continued, "In Watari's room downstairs, the Death Note is in a hidden drawer underneath a computer desk behind a CPU. It's locked. This key will open it. I'll steal it and get it to you if you'd like. Then, you can do whatever you want with it and I'll go back to Higuchi, the current owner of the other notebook. This Death Note has to be taken care of first."

Misa applied lipstick and smiled afterwards to show that she understood.

"Good," Rem said, slightly relieved, "L might catch you for being Kira if the notebook remains in his possession. Wait first. Don't leave the building unless the Death Note is with either you or Yagami. As long as it isn't with L, you won't be in danger."

Misa Amane left the bathroom and skipped towards Light as if nothing happened.

She mentally thanked Rem.

* * *

L scowled, staring intensely at the computer screen featuring the hidden bathroom camera. "Nothing. I was sure she'd be doing something suspicious in the bathroom."

"She's not Kira and neither am I, Ryuzaki," said Light wearily, rolling his eyes.

The twenty-five year old detective ignored the last comment and turned on the speaker. "Watari, are you back yet?"

"Yes, Ryuzaki."

"Good. I'll have the cake later tonight. I'm not hungry right now," he said.

Watari responded in affirmative and turned off the speaker once again.

Light glared. "For once, you're not hungry..."

"That is because I just finished a bowl of ice cream, Light," L answered tonelessly, "I am not a glutton."

"Whatever. I still think you're not healthy at all, eating all those sweets everyday, you kno-"

"LIGHT!"

The two men turned to find Misa Amane skipping towards them. Everyone else was out for lunch break, so the three of them were alone in the building. L didn't stand up from his usual position on his swivel chair, but Light walked towards Misa. "Hey. Are you going home soon?"

"Oh no, Light. Of course not! I want to stay the whole day here with you!" Misa exclaimed cheerfully, her pigtails bouncing as she clung to Light.

Rem floated along behind Misa, watching the scene unfold.

"No, I'm sure the task force will be busy working. You will merely be a disturbance to us, I'm afraid," the sugar-loving detective said.

Misa stuck out her tongue at him. "Whatever, Ryuzaki. I'm not listening to you!"

"You better head back soon, Misa," Light said, exasperated, "The others will be back from lunch break and we'll start working."

"Then I'll watch you work!" the girl said hopefully.

Light and L both shook their heads. "No."

Misa pouted. "Meanies. Can't I stay for just a few minutes?"

The two men exchanged uneasy glances. L spoke. "Fine. Just a few minutes."

Light sat down, researching on a few profiles on people who had recently died due to heart attack. L simply read some files involving Kira.

They didn't notice Misa nod at a Shinigami behind them.

* * *

Rem quickly floated back to Watari's room and used the key to unlock the drawer beneath the computer desk behind the CPU. She held the Death Note and was about to leave the room to get it to Misa. Then, she felt a familiar presence of a fellow death god behind her.

The Shinigami turned. "Ryuk. I know you're there."

The other appeared behind the wall and floated towards her. "Yo Rem. You do know this is pointless, right?"

"You will not tell L of this. He doesn't need to know. No one has to see," she said coldly.

Ryuk laughed. "You idiot. I'm not helping the little detective. I'm merely following you because it seemed fun."

"Then why do you say this is pointless?" Rem asked sharply.

"I know what you're planning. You touched Amane with part of your personal note, she told you to get the Death Note, you're going to give it to her later, and she's going to warn Light of L being a step ahead," Ryuk said, grinning nastily, "But that's not going to work anymore."

"I'm afraid I don't understa-"

The other Shinigami interrupted impatiently. "Gosh, Rem. You're so daft. You noticed me but you didn't notice him?"

"Him... what?"

Rem turned to find Watari standing, shocked, at the door, holding a plastic bag of cake ingredients.

The piece of the Death Note page Rem used on Misa was in between the old man's fingers.

Rem had carelessly dropped it on the way there.

Watari had picked it up.

Ryuk laughed.

* * *

Watari returned the frozen glares of the other two death gods in the room. The Death Note was in danger of being stolen. He subconsciously dropped the bag on the floor and retrieved an emergency remote controller from his pocket. It had two buttons. The green button said TALK while the other said DELETE. He quickly pressed on TALK as Ryuk laughed.

"Ryuzaki," spoke Watari into the speaker, panic slightly affecting his voice.

Rem recovered from her moment of surprise and grabbed her personal Death Note from her pocket.

L's voice sounded through the speaker, which almost instantly calmed the old man.

"Yes, Watari? Do you have the ingredients for tonight's cake already?"

L's voice.

"Nobody loves me."

"Will you really take me in, Wammy?"

"I know that I'm smarter than everyone else."

"I'd like to implement justice in the best way I can."

"Watari... I want you to help me by becoming my assistant."

"Please, Watari... Don't worry about me. Never forget that I am L."

"You know that I I trust you more than anyone else in this building, don't you?"

L's voice.

L.

Watari tried to shake off all thoughts and focused. "Ryuzaki-"

Rem wrote on the Death Note, eyes glistening red with anger.

"-the note was taken by a Shiniga-" He could no longer breathe.

Ryuk laughed as Rem started dissolving into sand, both Death Notes now lying abandoned on the ground.

L spoke through the speaker. "Watari?"

Watari pressed the red DELETE button and his vision went black as he fell to the floor.

* * *

L, Light Yagami, and Misa Amane all stared, completely taken by surprise, at the computers in front of them.

L was the only one who was able to comprehend the simple phrase on the screens. He spoke on the speaker.

"Watari? Watari. Watari!"

Misa clung onto Light's arm in fear, but deep inside, she knew that something must have gone wrong with Rem's mission.

Light frowned, puzzled, not understanding the words on the screens.

They all contained the same message: ALL DATA DELETION.

L turned off the speaker as the words slowly sunk in. He quickly hid the shocked and devastated expression on his face with a mask of emotionless indifference, significant in focusing and being able to piece everything together. His skeletal hands gripped his knees tightly, shaking uncontrollably with half-rage, half-sorrow.

He took a deep breath, leaving the boy Lawliet behind and, once more, resuming the task of L.

* * *

**I'm sorry. I have nothing against Watari or Rem, FYI. Their deaths were essential to the plot (and apparently, canon in the manga/anime, anyway). Um... you'll see more annoying Ryuk next chapter! And a bit of Near and Mello! ...Just please don't kill me. :|**

**Besides, there's drama and action in the next one. It ain't over yet. ;) **


	8. Provocation

**Hello guys! Let's pretend I wasn't gone for almost a year and act as if I didn't keep you all hanging with my sudden disappearance! Also, imagine that this chapter isn't as short as it looks. :P  
**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**Provocation**

The door opened and the rest of the task force- Matsuda, Soichiro, Aizawa, and Mogi- entered, ending their seemingly animated conversation as they took in the cold silence of the room. Everyone stopped to look cautiously at the state of the computer screens. They were all containing the same message: ALL DATA DELETION.

Matsuda was the first to speak. "Hey guys, what's going on? All data deletion? What does that mean?"

No one replied. The atmosphere of the room was very cold and the aura surrounding the three original occupants was tense. The computers seemed as if they were screaming the message out, daring them to understand and to react to the situation.

"It means," L explained stiffly after pausing for a moment, "Watari is dead and he has deleted all the information right before it could happen. Those were my orders if ever such a thing could occur."

If it was even possible, the room temperature decreased several degrees. All eyes were on L, their minds processing the new information that was so sudden to have just arrived in a casual, unimportant day. Light immediately followed L's train of thought and glanced at Misa, who was still looking at the computer screens with a strange look in her eyes.

"Well, if that is so, we'll collect the body, Ryuzaki," said Soichiro softly, after a long silence. He started towards the hall leading to Watari's quarters. Matsuda, Aizawa, and Mogi followed to help. Only three remained in the room.

L frowned. Even if his back was on the other two, he knew at once who stayed and who left. His voice was smooth as he turned and gazed into his brown-haired companion's eyes. "I would like to speak to Misa alone."

Light clenched his fists. "And why is that?"

L simply repeated his request more forcefully. "I would like to speak to Misa alone."

Light shot one last glare at the detective and reluctantly left the two alone in the room. As soon as the door closed, L turned to Misa. She stared back at him uncertainly, with an innocence that proved she had no idea what he wanted to talk to her about. Or not. "You've caused too much trouble for me today, Misa Amane. The easiest way now is to confess. Otherwise, I'll have to resort to more desperate methods."

"Confess? What do I have to confess?" the blonde exclaimed, the light from the computers causing her eyes to shine brightly with anxiety. She looked absolutely harmless- as did every criminal in the world who was good at acting. "I'm innocent!"

"I am waiting for your real answer," L answered quietly, unfazed by the act. Suddenly, an inhuman laugh sounded behind them- Ryuk. The shinigami floated towards them, its wide eyes showing amusement. In its skeletal hands was the stolen Death Note.

Misa didn't react, most probably pretending that she couldn't see the shinigami at all. There was more of a chance that she could, anyway. L nodded to it. "You recognize it, don't you, Misa? Give it to me, Ryuk."

Ryuk hesitated, mumbling to itself. "Should I give it to him or not? If I keep it, then that's definitely not going to get us anywhere. If I give it to Misa, hmm… If I give it to L, then ahh... What's more interesting?"

After a few seconds of contemplation, the shinigami cackled and handed the notebook to L, who held it up in front of Misa. She stared more at the detective, looking at him like he had just talked to the air and named it Ryuk. L knew for a fact that she could actually see the death god and continued holding the Death Note in front of her. She seemed clueless. "What's that? What are you planning to do, Ryuzaki?"

His dark eyes pierced her like an x-ray machine. He tilted his head and said softly, "You love Light Yagami because he did justice to you with the Death Note. When Rem gave you her Death Note, you were able to become the second Kira, causing you to interact with Light soon afterwards. You both planned something, or at least he did, before your imprisonment."

"I don't know what you're talking about! If what you're saying has anything to do with Kira…" Misa said loudly, "Then you're accusing the wrong person here! Just leave me alone. Leave Light alone too!"

L scowled, realizing that Misa would still be completely dedicated to protecting Light no matter what. He continued, determined that he could provoke her. "Rem was already assisting the third Kira when she somehow encountered you and managed to get you back your memories. Then, I assume she tried to steal the Death Note from Watari, causing them both to die and the Death Note to just end up in my hands-" He held up the notebook. "-once more."

"No, you're wrong. You're wrong!" she yelled angrily.

"Why do you consider it justice, Misa Amane?" he asked coldly, putting a hand in his pocket. It was time for his provocation skills to be put to use- one hundred percent. "People die. Even though the justice system in this world is poor and flawed, humans try! Don't you see that? If Kira- any Kira!- wants to play god, then they picked the wrong time to do it because I won't let a mere insane killer murder millions just because of his or her poor concept of justice. It's pure cruelty, Misa. Pure. Cruelty."

Misa clenched her fists and screamed, "NO! We uphold justice the only correct way there is together- the Kira god and goddess. You're no angel! We are the right ones here! You'll never understand because all you do is solve crime after crime but you don't have feelings. You'll never understand that Kira gives hope to everyone! That's why I do it! I do it because it's honest and true. DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME CRUEL!"

She had managed to break the icy aura that emanated from L's voice using the burning passion that was released from her own outburst. The detective was completely unaffected.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

She collapsed to the ground in tears. L couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed as he simply stood up from his chair and retrieved something from his pocket- a voice recorder. He waved it around in front of Misa. "Look at this, Amane. Look what I just did- no, what _you _just did. You confessed."

He looked down at her mercilessly as she shrieked, realizing her mistake, "NO! You… You MONSTER!"

"I turned it on the moment I started provoking you by using the concept of justice and cruelty. I knew I had finally and successfully managed to manipulate you to confess," he said cuttingly, despite the calmness in his voice. "It's sad, however, that you were able to keep Light out of suspicion from your outburst."

The door banged open as everyone else entered the room, hearing the noise. Aizawa and Soichiro carried the corpse of Watari while Light stomped over to L in complete rage. Matsuda gasped at the sight of Misa.

"Ryuzaki! What did you do to her?" Light asked furiously, grabbing L's arm.

L pulled away, ignored them all, and retrieved some handcuffs from his pocket, encasing them around Misa's wrists. "I apprehend you, Misa Amane, for being the second Kira, responsible of the deaths and murders of several victims all over the world. You are arrested for your crimes. It would be wise not to struggle."

Matsuda stepped forward in disbelief. "No! You're mistaken, Ryuzaki. Let her go!"

Misa stood up and laughed hysterically. She bended forward and threw her head back, laughter coming out of her mouth. "He's right! L's right! I'm the second Kira! But no one will ever be able to stop the others because all we're doing is justice! Kira is the true god! You'll never stop him!"

She had gone insane in desperation.

The police was promptly called and Misa Amane was arrested permanently for the rest of her life. The task force was gloomy right after that, not expecting L to be correct at all about the blonde being the second Kira. It was such a waste of talent after discovering her to be a serial killer. Besides, with a true, honest recording in L's hands, there was no way that Misa wasn't the second Kira.

Light was genuinely frightened. If his so-called girlfriend was Kira, did that mean he was, too?

* * *

A few hours earlier, back in Near and Mello's apartment a few blocks away, the two were arguing about their plans. The older boy just found out that his companion had already planned a set-up to arrest Kyosuke Higuchi, technically doing every single piece of work to be done behind his back.

Mello was enraged, to say the least.

"You fucking came up with a plan and started on it without telling me!"

The albino calmly looked up from his puzzle, twirling a strand of his hair. "That is both correct and incorrect. I merely set up the stage for a plan and now I'm relying on you to carry everything else out. There's no need to be angry about it."

"No need to be angry about it?" he answered, glaring at Near, "Listen to yourself, you sheep! You're making me sound like your underling. I'll never be willing to _carry out_ your genius plan as long as I live!"

Near frowned. "Did I make it sound like that? Let me rephrase it, then. I've already employed Wedy to put surveillance in Kyosuke Higuchi's cars and apartment. I have him completely under my watch. Just now, I called the police to proceed to the Yotsuba HQ building and asked them to look out for the third Kira. All the members of Yotsuba except for Higuchi are currently there with the police, waiting for Higuchi to arrive and for things to be settled."

Mello nodded, counting to ten in his head to keep calm. "Yeah, I understand what you're saying. You want me to somehow fetch Higuchi from his stupid detour at the sale in the town square and bring him to the Yotsuba building, right? And, of course, find evidence that he's the third Kira along the way."

"Exactly," he replied, his light eyes staring at his companion's.

"Fine. Tell me the plan right now so I can carry it out. Before I lose my cool."

The younger boy shook his head. "That's what you don't understand. I don't have a plan for that part. I don't know how we can bring Higuchi from the town square to the building. I don't know how to find evidence against him as soon as possible."

"The fuck? You mean you already started on a plan that isn't even complete yet?" Mello exclaimed, mildly surprised, "Unless… You want me to go complete it right now."

"Yes. I didn't tell you about my first part of the plan sooner because I knew you'd just be bothered about working with me, so I went ahead and started it myself," he answered earnestly, turning back to his puzzle and fitting one last piece into a corner, "I'm leaving you to do whatever you want to arrest Higuchi."

The blond grinned. "Well, why didn't you just say so? Shit, finally, some adrenaline!"

He promptly stood up from his chair, grabbed the long distance walky-talky from Near's desk, and went outside, hopping on his motorcycle. He drove off towards the closest town square to their apartment and laughed into the walky-talky.

"I have a full plan mapped out in my head. I'm going to need your cooperation, though. If everything turns out exactly as planned, expect him arrested in thirty minutes, sheep."

Kyosuke Higuchi looked around him, alarmed. Rem had completely disappeared while he was fitting a new suit. He put it back on the rack and checked every nook and cranny of the shop, yet the death god was definitely missing.

Suddenly, his phone rang. He answered, slightly irritated, "Hello? Who's this and what do you want?"

The person who replied was clearly using a voice changer.

"I am L."

* * *

**HAH. A CLIFFHANGER. Don't worry. I'm planning to update more often now, so you won't really have to wait long anymore to find out what's next. :D**


	9. Stimulation

**I went on a vacation trip around Macau, Hong Kong, and some parts of China. It was really fun. Here's the much-awaited ninth chapter of Opposing Destiny. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**Stimulation**

"I am L."

Higuchi paused and stared at his phone fearfully as if it had just sprouted claws and started scratching at him. He stiffened, looking around to make sure that no one was close enough to be able to hear his conversation and replied quietly, "L? Seriously? Is this the type of prank call teenagers do these days?"

The person on the other line insisted, "I really am L and I am as sure of it as you are about being Kyosuke Higuchi."

He gasped. This person could actually be L! However, any stranger could have gotten hold of his number and identity, anyway. It would be wise to make sure. "I still don't believe you."

"Oh?" the voice said testily. "What if I told you that I know about you being the third Kira and that you are using your Death Note to kill all Yotsuba's enemies? It was quite easy to find out, you know. Also, what if I told you that I'm about to ask your work partners in Yotsuba to call the police this very moment? They might even have evidence and witness to your guilt as the committer of these crimes. The police would be very relieved to have caught-"

"What the fuck do you want me to do, then?" Higuchi interrupted, swiftly making his way to his car.

"Surrender," was the simple answer.

He laughed. "_Fuck _you." He ended the call and put back his phone in his pack. He opened his bag and tried to find his car keys, occasionally glancing left and right to make sure that he wasn't being watched. It was the perfect time to be paranoid. Surely, L would have his eyes on him all the time.

He had to go to the Yotsuba building and prevent anything bad from happening.

It took a whole minute for Higuchi to actually find the car keys. He quickly retrieved them and unlocked his car, his bag still in his left hand- until a blur of black and yellow snatched it away.

He turned, extremely alarmed, to find that his bag was snatched by a blond teen wearing black, who was grinning and holding up the bag like a prize. Higuchi roared in frustration and ran to catch the boy, who started running off as well. A wild goose chase began.

The blond crossed the road and went down the main street, way past the shopping square. The bag contained not only Higuchi's personal items, but also the Death Note. The teen unknowingly had access to the most dangerous and powerful weapon any human being could have- and he stole it right out of Higuchi's hands.

"Fuck you! Come back! You thief!" the man growled angrily as he chased the boy.

The boy took no notice and turned to an alley, jumping on a big black motorcycle and starting it up. The engine roaring like a signal for Higuchi to catch up if he could. The motorcycle sped off downtown, right out of sight.

Higuchi growled and ran back to the parking lot as fast as he could, using his car keys to unlock the car and getting inside in a rush. He hastily drove away from the square and followed the road going downtown, where he had last seen the kid on his motorcycle.

* * *

Mello slowed down the bike and retrieved his phone from his pocket, dialing the only number available in his contacts. After a few seconds of ringing, the person on the other line finally picked up.

"Have you succeeded?"

"Yeah, I'm on my bike right now! I'm positive he went back to get his car and he's possibly trying to trace where he last saw me," the blond muttered, scanning the street warily, "Near, I have his damn Death Note, though! It's in his bag and I'm holding it right now and-"

Near interrupted tonelessly, "Don't get too excited. You only have one piece of evidence. We need his confession."

"Well, that's your job," Mello answered, rolling his eyes, "You're watching and listening to him from the hidden camera and bugs installed in his car, right? Just make sure you're paying attention to whatever he says. He might slip up cursing and mention stuff."

"Yes. I was afraid he wouldn't believe my phone call about being L, though," the albino replied softly.

"He did, you sheep. That's why he's chasing me right now. I'm sure we'll catch him by the end of tonight," he said confidently, catching a glimpse of the front of Higuchi's car speeding towards him, "He managed to catch up with me. I'm going to drive away now."

"Be careful," Near said, ending the call with the press of a button.

Near twirled a strand of his white hair and watched the screens closely. Higuchi was in a rage, driving as fast as he could in pursuit of Mello on his black motorbike. It was obvious that he was desperate as his face was red and his driving was the most reckless ever.

The vehicle picked up speed as they entered the highway. Near could imagine Mello howling gleefully at his own illegal underage driving and living the moment. In fact, the blond had only learned how to ride the bike earlier that morning and he had already gotten the hang of it in only a whole afternoon.

Suddenly, Near noticed a sudden motion that could only mean swerving. Higuchi went wild on the steering wheel, veering to the left and yelling at the dashboard (most probably Mello), "You got that right, bastard child! I'm not going on easy on you just 'cause you're a kid! Wait, aren't you too young to be riding a bike? Fuck, I bet he doesn't even have a driver's license!"

The albino sat up straight, feeling that there was more to come. He was right. "THERE'S NO WAY I'M LETTING A POOR KID LIKE YOU LAY HIS DIRTY HANDS ON MY NOTEBOOK!" Ah. So close yet so far. Near bit his lip.

Apparently, the highway had ended and they were now in downtown. Only a few blocks away was the Yotsuba building. They were almost there and Higuchi could possibly and finally be arrested for being the third Kira. The phone rang.

"Mello? What's going on?"

"You know, I just realized that since I touched the Death Note, I should be seeing a Shinigami by now. What was the name in the manga? Ram? Rex?"

"Rem," the younger boy answered instantly with a spark of realization in his eyes. "You're right. Perhaps you can't see clearly from there? Looking in his car behind you while driving on a motorbike isn't-"

Mello interrupted impatiently, "No. I can see really clearly from here. Besides, I've mastered all kinds of riding on a bike. Backwards, sitting sideways, on a handstand… I really can't see Rem."

"That's strange. Death gods have no ability to turn invisible and they usually are required to stay close to their masters. It should be there somewhere."

"Well, it's not. By the way, have you caught some evidence over there?"

Near frowned. "No. He only mentioned the word notebook, so it's still vague. You have to stimulate some more reaction from him. It is essential that we acquire more evidence than the Death Note in your hands."

"Got it," the blond replied loudly over the sound of the engine. He ended the call.

The albino, once again, looked up at the screens and strained his ears to catch anything that would come out of Kyosuke Higuchi's mouth. For now, he was silently driving in fury. The car turned a corner and now, it was extremely obvious that they were heading towards the Yotsuba building. Mello had only approximately a minute to stimulate some kind of reaction from the man.

"This is close to my workplace…" he mumbled, confused, "And where the fuck is Rem? Just when all this happened…"

That was strange. Even _he_ didn't know where the Shinigami had gone. Near tilted his head to the right, thinking that maybe Rem had escaped- but where? And why? A loud screeching of brakes was heard as an unmistakable motorbike had suddenly collided with the left side of the car. The left rearview mirror was broken. Higuchi screamed. "DAMN YOU! No one destroys my car and gets away with it, you little shit. I'm going to kill you- as soon as I get my hands on my Death Note again!"

Near sighed, relieved. He saved the file of the voice recorder and mentally thanked Wedy for her help with installing the bugs in Higuchi's car. They finally had evidence. Now, it was time for Mello to make it to the Yotsuba building safe and sound- with Higuchi right behind him.

* * *

Mello grinned, speeding off towards the parking lot of the Yotsuba building, where several police cars were waiting. He looked behind him and laughed out loud at seeing Higuchi's face. It was official- they had caught the third Kira.

He veered to the right, blocking Higuchi's road to escape. The effect was instantaneous. Higuchi hit the brakes and tried to go left at the same time, causing his vehicle to crash right into a police car at the parking lot. Smoke arose from the engine.

The blond stopped and got down from his bike. The head police officer ran towards him.

"Are you L's assistant? We were told that you were coming."

He nodded. "Kyosuke Higuchi is the third Kira. A voice file that proves his guilt will be sent to your systems in a few minutes. It is enough proof, anyway, that he chased me and wants to kill me. He should be arrested as soon as possible. That is all." He walked off and the police officer had said a quick thanks and goodbye.

Mello thought of calling Near about their victory but decided against it. They could celebrate when he got back to their apartment. He paused for a while, watching Higuchi being handcuffed and dragged towards a police car. The Kira had taken notice of him and growled. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS! I WILL KILL YOU!"

He laughed, shaking his head and turning back towards his bike.

"It's crazy, Steve! Who thought catching two Kiras would be possible?"

"Yeah, the actress earlier this morning and now this businessman tonight- L really is amazing, Tony."

Mello scowled and made his way towards the two policemen having the conversation, feeling his blue eyes widen in suspicion. Were they talking about the case or something? "I heard you both talking about Kira and L. I'm the guy L sent here- the one you should be thanking for making your jobs easier, you know. Anyway, would you mind repeating to me what you were saying?"

They both bowed respectfully. "Well, our other colleagues in the police department said that they had caught Misa Amane earlier this morning because she was the second Kira. L did that. And now, obviously, L also-"

"Okay, thanks," he interrupted, nodding to them in appreciation. L had apprehended Misa. He and Near had apprehended Higuchi. It was time. They had no other choice but to join their mentor and help him arrest the original Kira once and for all. He absolutely had to call Near about this.

The last and closest encounter the police officers could possibly have with any relation to L was the blond speeding away on his black motorbike, cellphone in hand.

* * *

Ever since L had arrested Misa Amane the other day, the headquarters was extremely quiet and the atmosphere was never happy. Besides, it came as a shock to all members of the task force to find out that L was right and that the sweet and talented Misa really was the second Kira.

Light was probably the most affected. He hadn't really loved his girlfriend the way other guys did but her arrest was another angle to his possible guilt. There was a sort of feeling deep in his chest and some faint spark at the back of his mind that made him cringe every time he'd think about Kira. It was getting darker each second and L's eyes were always watching him- always, without fail, and he knew he'd never escape them.

L calmly ate his cake, facing his computer. The news had broken out all over the world that Quillish Wammy, owner of several orphanages for special and advanced children, had died. It was on the papers. It was on the internet. However, L made sure that the news about Misa's capture was to be contained.

He would only proclaim Kira truly dead if Light Yagami himself was arrested.

"Ryuzaki! I have urgent news," Soichiro Yagami said, clearly alarmed as he walked over to L, phone in hand. "A colleague of mine from the downtown police department said that they had apprehended a certain Kyosuke Higuchi, now known as the third Kira."

L could barely contain his surprise. "Are you quite sure about this?"

The older man nodded. Everyone else in the room was now paying close attention to their conversation. "The weird thing about it all is that they said L and a few of his assistants had helped them."

"They're impostors, of course! We have to research this Higuchi person, though. What if they had caught the wrong guy?" Light immediately sat down next to L and typed away on his computer, about to find information on the apprehended man. "Ryuzaki, aren't you worried about this? There are people running around out there pretending to be you and- wait."

He paused and eyed the dark-haired man beside him suspiciously. "Did you call them? Are they your accomplices or something?"

The detective shook his head. He didn't call for them. They had found the Death Note manga volumes that revealed something about L's and Kira's fate, therefore causing them to escape Wammy's House and come to Japan themselves. He didn't exactly call for them. "No. However, I may have an idea… I know some people who have the capability to assume my identity and want to help. I didn't expect-"

"Bullshit! They're here to help you arrest me, aren't they?" Light stood up, angered.

"Of course not, Light. I wouldn't stoop so low as to call in reinforcements just to arrest you. I have the ability to do that myself," L explained softly, eyes focused on the computer screen. "Higuchi is part of the seven members of Yotsuba Company, which is a leading group in business and sales. They're extremely well off and rich. Ah- they have several enemies in the field such as…"

Matsuda stepped forward, concerned. "What is it, Ryuzaki?"

L scowled. "It's strange. All their enemies are either in ruin, bankrupt, or closed down. Let me see… The leader of this company died earlier last month. This one passed away from a heart attack while on vacation. Death is all over the place. I can now see why the fake L had arrested Higuchi."

Soichiro spoke up, "Well, there's seven members, right? How did they know it was Higuchi and not any of the others?"

"I've got it. I entered the system files of the police department. Aha! There's a voice recording here…" Aizawa said triumphantly, clicking away on his computer on Light's other side. The voice of a furious man cursing and vowing to kill some boy was heard on the speaker.

"Judging by the smooth sounds in the background, the man, Higuchi perhaps, was in a car. It is safe to say that he must have been driving- in pursuit of someone or being the one in pursuit of? He mentioned a notebook…" L muttered. Everyone was silent. "The fake L had apprehend the true third Kira, it seems." He frowned. Could Higuchi possibly be the master of the Shinigami Rem that had died the other day?

Light said stiffly, his brown eyes narrowing in contemplation, "Well, now that we know the fake L is actually useful and that they seem to be on our side, what should we do with them? It's not like they'll be against us as soon as we contact them, right?"

L tuned out the rest of the conversation, uninterested in taking part and knowing perfectly well that he wanted the "fake L" to join them. Besides, there was a ninety-eight point nine percent chance that it was actually Near and Mello behind it. It was pleasing to think that the two genius teenagers were working together and that could actually benefit the world in such a time when the true L himself would die.

However, there was still Kira to think about and L knew deep in his heart that Near and Mello, who had in their possession the remaining Death Note manga volumes plus their intelligence and skills, were essential in the battle for justice.

Soon, he would have to meet up with them.

* * *

**IKR. L, Near, and Mello can finally join forces to defeat Light once and for all! Or can they? ;)**

**By the way, did anyone else notice the names I made for the random policemen Mello talked to? YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. I'M A MAJOR FAN OF THE MOVIE. IT WAS AWESOME.  
**


End file.
